The crisis of the Old Regime. The origin of the contemporary world 1 The Reading from Molière, by Jean-François de Troy L E A R N I N G S I T UAT I O N The 18th centur y has been considered the moment when people started to see reason and knowledge as more important than superstition and dogmatism. Reason and science became the truths upon which the progress of humanity was based . This implied a new attitude, that of daring to know. In this period , enlightened thinkers forcefully defended freedom, social criticism and the struggle against ignorance. In the Western world , these ideas shook the foundations of the Old Regime. The ideas spread rapidly, making the 18th centur y the Age of Enlightenment and the basis of the Contemporar y Age. L E T ' S G E T S TA R T E D What does the term "Age of Enlightenment" suggest to you? Look at the illustration. Through what means did Enlightenment knowledge and thought spread in the 18th century? How would they spread today? Do you think there is a link between access to knowledge and the advancement of society? Why or why not? 12
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy