Ideas Of Enlightment

The philosopher John Mill believed that the progress modern society has made is positive. Based on his fundamental belief that an individual should involve himself with what

Finally, Dostoyevsky shatters the reasoning behind the beliefs of the thinkers of the Enlightenment. He believes modern society, despite all its knowledge of science and reason, neglect the most important factor in a man’s life; which is term coined by Dostoyevsky called the “most advantageous advantage”. Dostoyevsky believes, “one’s caprice, however wild it may be, is the most advantageous advantage” (17). Dostoyevsky concept of the “most advantageous advantage” disrupts the purpose of the Enlightenment. If man is going to answer to his own needs, regardless of the repercussions, then what is the use for science and reason? The basis of Dostoyevsky’s novel was to try and provide a rational answer for man’s irrational behavior. He came to the conclusion that man had an irrational side to him that was overshadowed by the Enlightenment’s practice of science and reason.

“reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life, that is, the whole life including reason and all the impulses” (Notes, 19).

makes him most happy, Mill beliefs that a happy individual is a positive asset to society. Mill writes that since the goal of man is to perfect and beautify life, the most important factor in striving towards perfection lies “within man himself” (Mill, 56). The key to an individual’s happiness rests on the notion that man must be able to freely express his own opinion, regardless of whether or not it is proven true. It is also important to note that Mill believes a person should formulate his opinion through reason. Mill declares that a man must “use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, and self-control to hold to his deliberate decision” (56). This parallels the thinkers of the Enlightenment: that reason should be used to discover rational answers as well as our own happiness.

Despite his belief that happiness is the primary concern for an individual, Mill does acknowledge that differences in opinion exist within society. However, he believes that each opinion contains a portion of truth, and collectively, opinions can be used towards reaching a truth that can be beneficial to all of mankind. Mill argues that, “Truth, the great practical concerns of life, must be made the rough process of a struggle between combatants fighting under hostile banners” (Mills, 46). This implies, that yes there will be opinions that differ in life, but together they can be used to polish off the rough edges of the truth. The opinion that is discredited by the public can be used as evidence to further support the other opinion that is deemed correct by society. Mill supports this notion when he writes:

This quote by Nietzsche sharply contrasts the opinion of Mill and Huxley. While they saw morality and science as a benefit, Nietzsche saw these things as the downfall of human kind. He argued, “never make equal what is unequal” (113). Nietzsche believes that equality to all is in fact inequality, and what humans think to be justice is really the end of ju

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