We live in an enlightened world. We owe a lot to the men and women of the XVIIIth century and what they gave us. During this period, all over Europe, but especially in France, sciences, politics, literature, art, philosophy and many other aspect of society were being dissected, studied and written on.
You know their names: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, du Châtelet, Lavoisier, de Gouges and others. They are the ones who laid the foundation for the very States we live in, at least in the democratic parts of the world. Modern governments and societies derive directly from the work of these people that we consider part of the Lumières era.
Let me give you an idea of how they managed to do that, why they did it, as well as the dramatic consequences that ensued.Timecodes:
Introduction
05:45 - Turning the lights on 09:32 - Various aspects of the Enlightenment 14:25 - The Encyclopédie and the sciences23:52 - Laws, societies and the consequences of the Enlightenment30:14 - ConclusionMusic: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.
Painting: Première lecture chez Mme Geoffrin de la tragédie de Voltaire "L'Orphelin de la Chine" , 1755. By Anicet Charles Lemonnier
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08/09/22 • 34 min
La Fayette, We Are Here! - The French Enlightenment: Les Lumières
Transcript
What do you think of the Middle Ages? Lots of people think of it as a dark and twisted period when superstition and cruelty reigned supreme. Of course, it’s actually a lot more complicated than that but still, I don’t think lots of you would appreciate it if I called your manners or reasoning “medieval”.
So you might say, “yes, but the Renaissance came afterwards”! Ah, the Renaissance, which means “Rebirth”. The rediscovery of Antiquity’s secrets, their appropriation an
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