Atheism in the Enlightenment

Skepticism in the Enlightenment

To be skeptical during the time of the Enlightenment was extremely important; to be skeptical means that one can think critically and methodically, which are key factors in math, logic, and science. The creation of scientific thinking also came along with the rationalization of philosophical thinking, exploring the learning and the experience behind existing human knowledge.

The people of the Enlightenment did not seek to replace religion with Skepticism. However, they used Skepticism as means to understand life. When science discovered something new, there was less of a reason for people to believe in anything other than the proof of science itself. This encouraged people to follow reason over blind faith, pulling them away from the traditional values of Christian belief.

Definition of Skepticism

Skepticism questions and doubts asserted beliefs or dogmas. This can apply to topics of philosophy, epistemology, politics, religion, and any field of knowledge. Skepticism can also range from radical to moderate, the difference being that the radical believes that answers to every question can be found and proven. In contrast, the moderate believes that some things can never be known for certain (such as the existence of God or whether there is an afterlife). The concept of Deism, a "natural religion," is derived from Skepticism.

Deism in the Enlightenment

Coined in the 17th and 18th centuries, Deism focuses on religious belief apart from miracles or superstition. When Isaac Newton presented his findings on universal gravitation, explaining the behavior of objects on earth and objects in the heavens, this encouraged a view of the world that sees the natural world being defined by the laws of nature and not a God.

Deism was heavily focused on answering life's questions through science and rationality. They did not believe that God was a conscious creator who monitored and punished people in their everyday lives. The concept of human nature plays a large role in the beliefs of Deism, which professes that God intervenes very little in human affairs past the point of creation.

Definition of Deism

Deism is the belief in the existence of God or a supreme being that does not intervene with the workings of the universe and natural world. It is accepting the existence of a creator based on reason and not on supernatural beliefs. God created human nature and the nature of the universe so that the world can run its course without the constant attention of a deity.

Soon stemming directly from Deism and Skepticism came Atheism, the complete rejection of a God and the stories of religion.

The Enlightened Atheist

During the Enlightenment, open Atheism and the questioning of religious practice were made possible by increasing religious (or, in this case, non-religious) tolerance. Though the term "Atheist" first appeared in the 16th century, people did not begin to use the word as a way to identify themselves until the 18th century.

First page of the Encyclopedie. Source: Wikimedia Commons

With Atheism growing from Deism and Skepticism, both heavily based on reason as the primary epistemological tool to know reality, it was easy for a person to reason their way out of religion completely. Deism and Skepticism are sometimes viewed as "gateways" or "paths" to Atheism.

An entry defining Atheism found in Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopédie says

Though tolerance was rising in Europe, Atheists were still often referred to as "heretics," "unbelievers," or "materialists," despite many of the accused not being Atheists at all. Rather, they were thinkers who may have been diving too deeply into science and reason for the comfort of the church.

Definition of Atheism

Atheism is to have disbelief in the existence of God or Gods. Atheists are often closely related to Skepticism, as they question everything that does not appear to have a rational answer. The group builds its lack of support for the idea of God through little to no solid evidence and conflicting stories and revelations. Atheists do not believe there would be a God in a world filled with so much evil, a world that does not even recognize the existence of God but as social conformity.

The Outcome of the Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a time that helped develop new religions, or lack thereof, along with producing many unique views of the world through books, essays, discoveries, laws, and even revolutions regarding all existing human knowledge. The American Revolution and the French Revolution can give direct credit to the period of Enlightenment due to a want to restructure society based on rationality and not simply because of the bloodlines of the elite.

The Enlightenment also inspired 19th-century movements such as Romanticism, Liberalism, and Classism, and in the 20th century, inspired Modernism.