How are the central ideas of the Enlightenment era reflected in Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels and the painting Gin Lane by William Hogarth? I will also focus more on Robinson Crusoe, because it could be argued that Robinson Crusoe is based on the works of Rene Descartes, the father of modern philosophy. To answer the thesis we must understand the central ideas of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment introduced a new way of thinking, unlike before, where God was the center of the universe and deeply rooted traditions governed; now ideas suggested that the understanding of reality should be based on reason and rational research. The ideals of freedom and human dignity had many followers and were a driving force behind the American and French Revolutions. In particular, the ideas of the Enlightenment greatly influenced literature and art. One of the main ideas of the literary era of the Enlightenment was the idea of ​​thought, as I have already said. As René Descartes noted in the 1700s, “I think, therefore I am.” René Descartes was a French philosopher and mathematician, supposedly one of the greatest modern philosophers. Descartes managed to define a mechanical, but not theological, understanding of physiological processes in his treatise Discourse on the method for conducting one's reason correctly and for seeking truth in the sciences. The main relevant ideas of the treatise were the four rules of thinking. The first rule, in his own words, was “never accept anything as true that I did not clearly know to be true.” This phrase remains one of the most influential quotes in the foundation of modern science. The second rule was to divide each of the difficulties under consideration into as many parts as... half of the paper... founding a new company. Religion was given less and less value, and rational thinking and ideas of freedom and equality were given the highest priority. Although Robinson Crusoe follows the patterns of Descartes' treatise, it can be seen as a practical version of the content, applied to modern philosophy, showing what can be achieved by thinking sensibly. While Gulliver's Travels and Gin Lane focuses on the problems that could occur due to the lack of rational and reasonable thinking. What if we never had the Age of Enlightenment? Works Cited Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. 1719. Ed. Evan R. Davis. Peterborough: Broadview, 2010. Print.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KChZ1KlUPuchttp://snl.no/Ren%C3%A9_Descarteshttp://www.aresearchguide.com/gullivers-travels.htmlhttp: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqmyIrw_2pUAccess to English: Literature (2008)