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The Age of Enlightenment Has Yet to Come

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In the words of Immanuel Kant, to be “enlightened” is simply to “Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!” If we were to simply use this as a guide to determine whether or not we are living in an enlightened era, then I would say that we are most definitely living in a time of enlightenment. One only has to look to the Internet to see just how enlightened people are. People have taken their own understanding of things and run into the sunset with them. In the traditional sense of enlightenment as in the philosophical movement in which great thinkers such as Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke made significant scientific discoveries and questioned authority.  They demanded that citizens be given rights, which, in turn, resulted in the great revolutions from which The United States of America and the American Revolutionary spirit was born. The era of Enlightenment encouraged human thinking and development, something that is still very much at play. But people refusing to
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We The People, Have John Locke to Thank

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John Locke’s influence on modern politics stands today because he is credited with being the most influential man to help with the foundation of The United States. Our Declaration of Independence states that Americans have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which are a combination of Locke’s words from his Second Treatise of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding . In his Second Treatise of Government , Locke he redefined how a government should operate. Locke states that a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed, i.e. the people. Locke also expresses that if a government becomes tyrannical and no longer serves the people, that the people have a right to replace it with a new government. These ideas are what the founding fathers brought with them when they founded The United Stated and with them the revolutionary American spirit was born. Although there are some contradicting ideas that Locke presents such a
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The Lowdown on High Fashion

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When thinking about Joseph Andrew’s high and low people, and how it applies to today’s society, what comes to mind is the fashion industry and the recent false narrative that “all” body types are loved and celebrated by the fashion industry, who still has a great influence in how women see themselves and want to look like. Plus sized models have been pushed to the forefront of media, but some of the most iconic outlets of fashion continue to idolize body times that are next to impossible for women of to maintain.   Add caption nearly nude Gigi. Ashley Graham is a plus sized model who is reportedly the highest paid model of 2017, according to Vogue  magazine.  The model has graced their cover for the second time in 2017,yet it is easy to see that their portrayal of her is a carefully curated presentation that celebrates her beauty, but hides the size of her body, unlike the magazine has done with other popular models. scantily clad Kendal    The Gu
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Read All ABout It! Print Journalism of the 18th Century

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By the 18 th century Britain was the Empire in which, "the sun never set" and so much information  was available from all parts of the world that it is no wonder journalism experienced a rise in popularity.  What aided the popularization of newspaper was the increase in literacy in the population as the middle class was expanding and flourishing with commerce and trade.  Magazines were made for all audiences such as The Lady's Magazine or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Amusement, Which covered women's fashions and happenings and  The Gentleman's Magazine which was in print for near 200 years from 1731 to 1922, and where Samuel Johnson was first regularly employed as a writer as a parliamentary reporter.  Richard Steele and Joseph Addison wrote about cultural matters in their journalistic print titled The Spectator . I find that there are similarities between The Spectator and modern day publications like Th
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It Happens

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I was astonished to see how sexually liberated some of the authors from the mid-seventeenth century were. By then, unlike one hundred years earlier, sex outside of marriage was no longer being punished, and people were taking advantage. Rochester  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term Libertine, which authors like Aphra Behn and John Wilmot of Rochester identified, as was a person who felt morally liberated, especially concerning sex. Both Behn and Rochester wrote poems about a subject that is to this day, one that is discussed with discretion and in private. ..a man’s mishap in the boudoir. Rochester’s poem “The Imperfect Enjoyment” discusses a man who finds himself in a romantic situation and proceeds to experience an early release leaving his lover disappointed. Rochester’s poem is comedic because he never outright says what happened, but delivers the message quite clearly; "In liquid raptures I dissolved all o’er"  Behn wrote, “The Disappoint
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Locke's Lasting Influence In this week’s reading, the focus was on John Locke, and an excerpt from his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, primarily the Epistle to the Reader. In his introduction, the author explains that his essay came about through lengthy discussions with friends. He initially thought that one piece of paper would contain all he had to say about the idea, but as time went by, he found himself coming back to the subject matter and expanding what he had to say. Locke comes off as apologetic when he tells the reader that he or she may find the essay redundant or repetitive, but admits that he was not going to edit any of the content. Ultimately, Locke's Essay is a labor of love of which Locke spent many hours working on and off on over an extended period and is the result of a very personal project for the author. The author presents the idea that thoughts are all for all humans, not just those enlightened by divinity. Thoughts, ideas, concepts, and
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Is Not Disagreeing Agreeing? Aphra Behn's Unbiased Treatment of Slavery in Oroonoko In Warren Chernaik article “Captains and Slaves: Aphra Behn and the Rhetoric of Republicanism Criticism,” the author points out, through a Post Colonial aspect, that it is surprising how little discussion there is in regards to how the text presents slavery. A Post Colonial criticism of literature, according to Perdue Owl Writing Lab, aims to look at a piece of literature that deals with people who have been or are colonized, and its colonizers. “Post-colonial theory looks at issues of power, economics, politics, religion, and culture and how these elements work in relation to colonial hegemony.” (Perdue) The author presents that Behn’s story has been argued to show support of colonization as a whole, which would by default support slavery. Slavery, I feel, is the most severe of the consequences of colonization. I do agree with the article in that it appears that Behn may take slavery fo
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