... Bury (7 vol., 1896-1900). Enlightenment Background and Basic Tenets The scientific and intellectual developments of the 17th cent.""the discoveries of Isaac Newton, the rationalism of Réné Descartes, the skepticism of Pierre Bayle, the pantheism of Benedict de Spinoza, and the empiricism of Francis Bacon and John Locke "fostered the belief in natural law and universal order ... modifications, Darwin was greatly influenced by Sir Charles Lyell's treatment of the doctrine of uniformitarianism. Darwin's evidence for evolution rested on the data of comparative anatomy, especially the stud...

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... noteworthy that in order to describe and understand the essence of any philosophy, Objectivism included, extensive reflection is due to be given to the following issues: 1) Metaphysics - which becomes the study of Objective Reality in Rand's system of philosophical thought; 2) Epistemology - the theory of perception which in Objectivism is founded upon Reason; 3) Ethics - which is based on Self-interest as ... . As a result, existence, or - in other words - reality, does not need explanation as it is prior to as well as independent of anything. As it does not require any explanation, qu...

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