Media, News, Publishing: Engines militaires 24/05/2020 (12)

The nature of the English Enlightenment was also influenced by its relationship with religion and the church. Its prominent figures, with rare exceptions, adhered to the tenets of Christianity. This was largely due to the fact that the English Church did not oppose itself to the Enlightenment, but to some extent even met its ideal of religious tolerance. This had far-reaching consequences for the cultural development of the country, since it allowed maintaining a balance between the traditional values, the guardian of which was the Church, and the innovative ones, which were carried by the Enlightenment.

Anyone accustomed to viewing the Enlightenment as an ideological preparation for bourgeois revolutions would note with disappointment the absence of radical slogans and militant appeals in the political program of the English enlighteners. But this is understandable: most of the political goals of the Enlightenment were achieved in England as early as the beginning of the 18th century.

In general terms, the political program of the English Enlightenment was formulated by the philosopher John Locke. Like many 17th-century thinkers, he believed that the emergence of the state was preceded by a state of nature, "a state of complete freedom in respect of their actions and in relation to the disposal of their property and person," as well as "a state of equality in which all power and all right are mutual." The transition from the state of nature to civil society was the result of a social contract, which assumed the redistribution of only power functions and did not entail significant changes in the position of people. The state had to be guided by the same "law of nature" that regulated the relations of people in the state of nature, and therefore could not encroach on the inalienable rights of citizens. Locke provided a special constitutional mechanism that did not allow the state to exceed its prerogatives. This is the division of state power into legislative, executive and "federal" (which was in charge of relations with other states). In addition, the slide of the state to despotism was to be prevented by the principle of legality, according to which "no exception can be made for a single person who is in civil society from the laws of this society."

Locke's views were largely embodied in the political system of England in the first decades after the revolution of 1688: the basic rights and freedoms of citizens, representative government, religious tolerance, and the inviolability of property were secured. Thus, the legal prerequisites for favorable changes in social development were provided, including the growth of entrepreneurial activity, the improvement of well-being, and the further democratization of the state and social system. All this fully corresponded to the goals of the enlighteners.

Therefore, their attention was riveted not so much to politics as to the private life of citizens. This was reflected in the ethics of the English Enlightenment, also in its main features developed by Locke. He derived the concepts of good and evil from sensations of pleasure or pain (in the physical and spiritual sense). Since people, Locke believed, correlate these concepts with the requirements of everyday life, then the rules governing their relations should be distinguished by convenience, expediency and usefulness. Such, for example, are the commandments set forth in the Sermon on the Mount.

In the utilitarian ethics of the English Enlightenment, there was also the motive of personal prosperity. Locke emphasized: “We are born into the world with such abilities and powers, which contain the ability to master almost any thing and which, in any case, can lead us further than what we can imagine; but only the exercise of these forces can give us skill and skill in something and lead us to perfection. Enlightenment contributed to the consolidation in the character of the British of such traits as enterprise, ingenuity, practicality.

Speaking in defense of individual rights and freedoms, the English Enlightenment unconditionally recognized the right of every person to pursue his own private interest. Great influence in this regard was exerted by the teachings of the philosopher of the 17th century. Thomas Hobbes about the selfish nature of man, which served as the basis for the ethics of selfishness, or rational egoism. One of its creators, Bernard Mandeville, believed that people's behavior is derived from selfishness. The latter is nothing more than a sense of self-preservation, prompting a person to fight for the means of subsistence, against the forces of nature and the interests of other people opposing him. From activities aimed at self-preservation, Mandeville also derived the vices of selfishness, considering them as the greatest good for society as a whole. In his "Fable of the Bees" he illustrated this idea with many examples from everyday life. His paradox "The vices of individuals are good for society" reflected the reality of the market economy.

Media, News, Publishing

воскресенье, 24 мая 2020 г.

Engines militaires 24/05/2020 (12)

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий

воскресенье, 24 мая 2020 г.

Engines militaires 24/05/2020 (12)

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий

воскресенье, 24 мая 2020 г.