Question

How might scientists and Enlightenment philosophers structure their arguments differently to reach their different intended audiences?

Answer 1

ANSWER!

Enlightenment philosophy and Great Awakening Christianity were very different, but both influenced the American colonies and American Revolution and both frame our thinking today.  The Enlightenment — so named by its own practitioners, who didn’t lack self-esteem — is best thought of as a continuation of the Renaissance we read about in Chapter 2, with a strong emphasis on the Scientific Revolution, reason, and progress.  Its practitioners adhered to the scientific method of testing hypotheses through rigorous, repeatable experimentation.  Ancient Greeks, inventors of the first organized sporting events (the Olympics), also promoted hard-nosed, constructive debate and organized competition in law, politics, philosophy, and science.