On Enlightened Self-interest
By the mid-18th century, plagues, the Little Ice Age with subsequent crop failures, and the findings of the philosopher-scientists of the period, it was time to break away from the Aristotelian-theocratic grip on the Western world weltanschauung for well over a thousand years. Asian and Persian thinkers had made significant advances in mathematics, astronomy and medicine. It was time to catch up.
In 1750, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, French economist and statesman called the previous century the “Age of Reason” because of scientific advances. Turgot was the first economist to have recognized the law of diminishing marginal returns in agriculture.
Reason had been used earlier by the Stoics in the third century BCE as the basis of their philosophy: “Lead a virtuous life. Deal with that you can control and let the rest glide by.” Latin writers Cicero and Seneca (1st Century BCE) echoed this approach in their ideas for a successful life: Government must include all classes and protect all.
Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) introduced the idea of pantheism, namely, God and the universe are one and further that, “God was a substance consisting of infinite attributes.” Believers in Deism, described as the religion of reason rejected Christianity as a body of revelation, mysterious and incomprehensible. God’s revelation, believed Deists, was simple, logical and clear-cut, a natural religion which always existed. Tick, tock.
The Enlightenment, from 1680 to 1790 consolidated many of these ideas to seek a well-rounded concept of the human experience where reason balanced emotions and sensibility leading to a happier life. Thinkers in Edinburgh, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan and other centers of learning gathered, corresponded, discussed, argued, and expanded their ideas.
Adam Smith (1723-1790), professor of moral philosophy at Glosgow from 1752 until 1764 helped form the Literary Society there and belonged to other similar societies where new ideas about commerce were formed. His book, The Wealth of Nations became required reading of Capitalists. He wrote that rational self-interest and competition can lead to economic prosperity. Many Enlightened embraced the Industrial Revolution to the chagrin of others who worked with the Quakers for the abolition of slavery.
He worked with David Hume (1711-1776), a Sottish Enlightenment philosopher who wrote “A Treatise of Human Nature,” creating a naturalistic science with a psychological basis. Human knowledge derives from experience.
In 1794, Thomas Paine used the Age of Reason as the title of his unsparing critique of religion: “Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.” Paine was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He helped convince those who would become the Founding Fathers in the British Colonies to seek freedom.
James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and others adopted revolutionary ideas about scientific rationality, religious toleration and experimental political organization adding their own concepts. Some coupled science and religion in the notion of deism; others emphasized the natural rights of humans; still others emphasized the importance of nurturing virtue, enlightened leadership and community.
Critics of the Enlightenment point to the harsh realities of early, unregulated Capitalism and the diminution of religion. This does the philosophy injustice. Greed drove early entrepreneurs to overwork those they hired and providing dangerous conditions. We are still dealing with those problems in some industries. The United States of America was founded on Enlightenment and the separation of church and state must be maintained.
Enlightened self-interest is a valid approach to a happy, productive lifestyle. Knowledge tempers emotion leading to imagination and creativity. All are equal, and while talent may vary, all can benefit.
Two books provide luxurious detail on this history: “The Enlightenment: the Pursuit of Happiness 1680-1790” (Ritchie Roberson, 2021, Harper Collins) and “The Enlightenment and why it still Matters” (Anthony Padgen, 2021, Oxford).