Enlightenment In Britain Research Paper

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Enlightenment ideas generally posed little threat to the established social order in Britain. In Britain, enlightenment ideas were encouraged and often implemented by the government, especially after the Glorious Revolution, and many European philosophes, such as Voltaire, looked to Britain as a good example. The lack of a repressive government was the main reason why the social order was not threatened in Britain, but the fact that the enlightenment in Britain was not as radical as in Europe should also be taken into account. In Britain, the state and religion were not as heavily criticized, and were actually supported by thinkers such as Newton and Locke. However, some ideas did threaten the social order somewhat, particularly the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and his supporters, as well as some ideas regarding Scottish independence. Ultimately however these did not pose any real threat, and on the whole enlightenment ideas…show more content…
The fact that many British thinkers were moderate and often defended the established social order, as well as religion, clearly shows this, as does the fact that thinkers such as Newton were widely celebrated for their ideas. The enlightenment was also not repressed by the government in Britain, rather it was encouraged, with many enlightenment ideas being put into place after the Glorious revolution, for example ideas regarding freedom, as well as an economic model based around Scottish thought. Whilst some Scottish ideas, and the ideas of thinkers such as Hobbes were opposed to the social order, they did little to actually threaten it in any practical sense. The fact that enlightenment thinking was encouraged in Britain, as well as the fact that many European philosophes looked to Britain as a good example clearly shows that enlightenment ideas posed little threat to the established social order in

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