Deism - what is this?

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe is rapidly changing people's worldview.Actively developing science: there was the textile industry, invented the steel industry, many natural phenomena are explained in terms of physics.As a result, the dogmas of the Catholic Church questioned, and have renounced the faith of scientists began the persecution of (the Inquisition).

European Society of 16-17 centuries needs a new doctrine, giving people complete answers to questions.Explain unresolved issues within the religion was called deism.

Determination

What is meant by deism?Can we consider it a religion?

Deism in philosophy - is the direction of social thought, which arose in the 17th century.It is a synthesis of rationalism with the idea of ​​God.According to deism, the root causes of the world was God or a Higher Intelligence.It was he who gave the impetus to the development of wonder and beauty, that surrounds us.Then he left the world develop according to natural laws.

Deism in philosophy appeared thanks to the revolutionary bourgeoisie, feudalism and denied the absolute power of the Church.

It's time to find out what Deism: religion, philosophy or ideological concept?Most sources define it as a trend or current of thought, explaining the world order.Deism - it's definitely not a religion as dogma denies.Some scientists even define it as a hidden philosophical direction atheism.

birthplace of deism?

homeland deism was England, then the teaching became popular in France and Germany.In each country the direction had its characteristic color, is combined with the mentality of people.These three countries were the centers of the ideology of the Enlightenment, most scientific discoveries have occurred in them.

in England deism was widely circulated among the educated people.Only a narrow stratum of writers and philosophers, headed by Lord Cherberi "lit up" a new idea.They wrote numerous works, based on the ideas of ancient philosophers.The founder of deism sharply criticized the church: he believed that it has unlimited power, based on blind faith of people.

second title of deism - a religion of reason, as described in the "Treatise of the truth," Labour Cherberi.Peak popular destinations in England came in the first half of the 18th century, scientists began to share ideas, even deeply religious people.

great significance was deism France: Voltaire, Montesquieu and Mellier harshly criticized the authority of the church.They were protesting not against faith in God, but against religion imposed bans and restrictions, as well as against great power of church employees.

Voltaire - a key figure of the French Enlightenment.A scientist from the Christian turns into a deist.He admits a rational faith, but not blind.

Deists Germany read works of his British and French contemporaries.Then they formed a popular movement "Enlightenment".The German philosopher Wolff was a deist: thanks to him, Protestant religion has become more free.

Deists - known historical figures and scientists

no wonder that classical deism supporter of higher education and had a great interest in history.When a person knows the physics, it can not be convinced that the rainbow or the thunder - the divine phenomenon.A scientist can assume that the root cause was a just God, who has formed a harmonious and beautiful world, gave him the logical laws, by which all lives and moves.But God does not interfere in the events.They take place in accordance with the open physical laws.

Known deists were:

  • Isaac Newton.
  • Voltaire.
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
  • David Hume.
  • Alexander Radishchev.
  • Jean Bodin.
  • Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
  • Mikhail Lomonosov.

Ideas deism still popular.Many Western scholars are deists - they recognize the divine origin of the world, with excellent knowledge of their field of science.

theism, deism, pantheism - what's the difference?

difference between similar sounding words is great:

  • Theism - this ideological concept based on the belief in one God.The two world religions - Christianity and Islam - are theistic.They belong to the monotheistic religions, t. E. Acknowledge one God.
  • Deism - it is not a religion, as mentioned earlier, a symbiosis of two ideas: the idea of ​​the Creator and the laws of science.It is a philosophical trend is not based on revelation, and recognize the mind, intelligence and statistics.
  • pantheism - a religious-philosophical direction, equating God with nature.To understand the "God" is possible through convergence with the universe and nature.

defined the concepts, we list the main differences between these concepts from each other:

  • Theism - the same thing as religion.Recognizes the existence of one God who made the world and to this day to help people.Pantheism and deism - a philosophical trends, describing the world order.
  • Deism - for ideas, combining the idea of ​​the God who created the universe, and the idea of ​​further development of the world according to certain laws, without the intervention of the Creator.Pantheism - a philosophical direction that identifies the concept of God with nature.Deism and pantheism - a fundamentally different things, which should not be confused with each other.

Impact on the development of the philosophy of deism

Deism in philosophy - a completely new direction, which gave rise to at least three paradigms:

  • empiricism.
  • materialism.
  • atheism.

relied on the ideas of deism, many German scientists.Kant used it in his famous work "Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone."Even before Russia came echoes of the European Enlightenment: in the 18-19 th centuries, a new trend has become popular with the Russian progressives.

deistic ideas promoted:

  • combat prejudice and superstition.
  • dissemination of scientific knowledge.
  • interpretation of positive progress.
  • development of social thought.

Conclusions

Deism - a fundamentally new direction in philosophy spread rapidly across Europe in the Age of Enlightenment.Inquiring minds medieval scholars, philosophers and thinkers have put together the idea of ​​God the Creator with scientific discoveries.

can say that the public demand for a new ideological concept was successfully satisfied.Deism has contributed to the development of science, art and freedom.