Enlightened Chains, pg. 13
employed by Voltaire as a translator for his plays. However, he soon became involved in an extended critique of French tragedy through comparison to Greek classics. He then worked to dispel stereotypes from his own writing, seeking to show life as it really was. By reflecting men and women behaving as they really did, he hoped to use theatre as an instructional device to explore the effects of Enlightenment upon the individual.
It was for his exploration of religion, however, that Lessing would create his greatest stir. In his essay, “The Education of the Human Race”, Lessing lays out a doctrine that has mankind slowly pealing back dogmatic beliefs to gain ever closer access to the true nature of God. Thus, rejection of Church doctrine is not a rejection of faith, but rather the result of internalizing the imperative of faith to better understand God. Because better education of men brought them closer to God, Lessing saw that better education would lead to better men - and thus bring about a perfect society on earth.
This teaching, however, angered the German Deists who saw science as a direct attack on their faith. Largely because of “The Education of the Human Race”, Lessing was denounced as an atheist or Spinozan after his death. Mendelssohn objected strenuously to this classification, but even Mendelssohn was not able to prevent his friend’s memory from being stained. The fact that two of the most devout defenders of faith could be place under suspicion of atheism may have been what prompted Kant to write almost despairingly that they lived in an age of enlightenment, but not an enlightened age.
Immanuel Kant, to a great extent, turned religion upon its head. In the preface to “Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone”, Kant begins by insisting that morality gives rise to religion, and not vice versa. Kant was able to reconcile faith and reason by
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It was for his exploration of religion, however, that Lessing would create his greatest stir. In his essay, “The Education of the Human Race”, Lessing lays out a doctrine that has mankind slowly pealing back dogmatic beliefs to gain ever closer access to the true nature of God. Thus, rejection of Church doctrine is not a rejection of faith, but rather the result of internalizing the imperative of faith to better understand God. Because better education of men brought them closer to God, Lessing saw that better education would lead to better men - and thus bring about a perfect society on earth.
This teaching, however, angered the German Deists who saw science as a direct attack on their faith. Largely because of “The Education of the Human Race”, Lessing was denounced as an atheist or Spinozan after his death. Mendelssohn objected strenuously to this classification, but even Mendelssohn was not able to prevent his friend’s memory from being stained. The fact that two of the most devout defenders of faith could be place under suspicion of atheism may have been what prompted Kant to write almost despairingly that they lived in an age of enlightenment, but not an enlightened age.
Immanuel Kant, to a great extent, turned religion upon its head. In the preface to “Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone”, Kant begins by insisting that morality gives rise to religion, and not vice versa. Kant was able to reconcile faith and reason by
Next Page
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