Jefferson, Franklin and Paine - Essay Example

Doctrines of Enlightenment Enlightenment is a period of time which has brought its benefits and at thesame time has been a time of challenge. During this period it has been reasonably stated that there are material or at least explicable things behind any miracle or strange thing from the religious point of view, and that there are reasons for anything other than just deistic creed. One of the doctrines of the Enlightenment is that reason makes it possible for people to get rid of their superstitious and dogmatic beliefs.

From this perspective, obviously, it follows that there is a reason for any phenomenon which explains its essence, therefore, the dogmas and superstitions are the things that cannot be proved and are unlikely to exist, opposite to the reason which is quite explicable and often visible; in other words, “Confining much of their logic to practical affairs, men like Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson entertained a mild Deism…”. (Perkins, 121). The second doctrine states that reason is the thing which can make everyone equal, that is, everyone can become equally free and law-treated.

In this regard, knowing that there is a common reason for a certain phenomenon it is easy to suppose that the reason is one for everyone, therefore, it is not possible to distinguish any individual and grant him or her with any privileges. The third doctrine has it that any beliefs should be accepted only if there are reasons behind them. As it has been mentioned above, there is a reason for any phenomenon, and it is impossible to believe in something which cannot be reasoned and explained. If there is no reason for belief, it is impossible to accept it because it becomes irrational.

The ideas of Enlightenment, most significant of which are democratic and egalitarian society, have been developed within the course of the nation’s growth. The true equality, at least in its documented form, has been reached with the resolution of the slavery problem. In this regard, everyone has become free and equal with impossibility of being exploited by the others which has been the initial idea of the American revolution which has been realized much later after its origination. Works CitedPerkins, G.

American Literature Before The Civil War. 2014. McGraw Hill LearningSolutions. Print.