This image was generated using artificial intelligence and is included as a visual representation of the chapter’s themes.

Introduction

In history, the Enlightenment was a period of growth and innovation all over the world. The Enlightenment is usually said to have taken place from approximately 1685-1815, and it was a time for the introduction of new perspectives, especially regarding philosophy, literature, reason, and medicine (McLean). Many famous thinkers and inventors gained their fame during this time period. Household names like John Locke and Voltaire contributed greatly during the Enlightenment. The world gained important ideas and inventions such as the printing press and the scientific method. While we are all familiar with these widely talked about names, there are many “missing-voices” of the enlightenment who do not get the credit they deserve.

Connection to STS

Our modern world has been shaped by the growth and development of new technologies and ideas. From simple ideas like the invention of paper in China, to huge leaps in innovation like the printing press, every era of history has led up to our current way of life (Gordon). The Enlightenment is no exception to this trend, during this exceptionally long period the world saw leaps and bounds in new tools. A great deal of scientists and thinkers, along with groups of like minded peoples set out to create an easier world to live in during the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment greatly affected society, fueling ideas in democracy and individualism, as well as championing religious freedom and humanitarianism. Additionally, the Enlightenment paved the way for future important eras of innovation. Groups such as the Lunar society are said to have propelled society toward the Industrial revolution through the bridge of science and technology with commerce (Wenaas).

Topic Information- Missing Voices

Alexander von Humboldt

Ironically, Alexander von Humboldt was one of the enlightenment “renaissance men”. Humboldt was born in 1769 in Berlin to wealthy Prussian parents (Zacharia). Many consider him to be “the forgotten father of environmentalism” for the advancements that he made in understanding the natural world. Von Humboldt’s greatest contribution is his work on human induced climate change. Along with Aime Bonpland, von Humboldt did extensive research and exploration throughout Latin America. It was during his time in Latin America in which he studied concepts including volcanic patterns, geographical links, and waterways. Additionally, von Humboldt is credited for discovering a large number of animal and plant species.

Joseph Priestley

Joseph Priestly is not a name that many are familiar with, which is strange considering he is the chemist that is credited with discovering something that no single human could live without. Priestly, an English scientist and theorist, is known to have been the man who discovered oxygen. In 1774, he claimed that “air is not an elementary substance, but a composition,” he understood the makeup of the compounds and elements of the air we breathe; and while he did not name it himself, later his discoveries would be coined as oxygen. Priestley was an extremely accomplished chemist who made a great deal of findings during his life, he spent his elderly years retired in the United States, and it is said that during this time he gained a great deal of respect and support from Thomas Jefferson for his life filled with scientific breakthroughs (Greenfield).

Challenges They Faced

During the Enlightenment, innovators and scientists began to push boundaries like never before. While eventually it is realized how amazing their achievements were, at the time they were often heavily persecuted for their efforts to challenge the traditional way of life (Bell). A main theme in challenges that Enlightenment thinkers faced is religion. Many scientists of the era began to challenge religious doctrines and tradition and promoted reason and science. Tensions also built over disagreements between intellectuals and between authority figures. New ideas of freedom and equality came to the surface which were sometimes perceived as threats to traditional systems of hierarchy. It was common for Enlightenment innovators to write under pseudonyms to publish their findings, which led to a great deal of “missing voices”.

Conclusion

All in all, the Enlightenment was a period that shaped not only the years to come, but had a huge effect on the world we live in hundreds of years later. While there are many prominent Enlightenment figures who we learn about, many scientists who had great impacts go unnoticed. Whether it was political, social, or religious backlash, use of a pen name, or they are simply just overlooked, these innovators’ stories are worth telling. The challenges of the Enlightenment period cultivated an era of great social progress and laid the foundation for years of important innovation.

References:

Bell, D. A. (n.d.). David A. Bell: The uses and abuses of Enlightenment [Video]. YouTube.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G7hNiGiqhM

Gordon, J. S. (2024). Chance & history. New Criterion, 42(10), 83–86.

Greenfield, D. P., & Best, R. C. (2009). The invention of air: A story of science, faith, revolution, and the birth of America. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 37(4), 473–477.
  https://doi.org/10.1177/009318530903700413

McLean, R. (2010, September). The Enlightenment (pp. 1–28). History at the Higher Education Academy, University of Warwick.

Wenaas, E. P. (2025). The new lunar society: An Enlightenment guide to the next industrial revolution. IEEE Technology & Society Magazine, 44(4), 41–43.
  https://doi.org/10.1109/MTS.2025.3625684

Zacharia, C. (2020, January 7). 5 of the Enlightenment’s unjustly forgotten figures. History Hit.
  https://www.historyhit.com/5-of-the-enlightenments-unjustly-forgotten-figures/

AI Use Disclosure:

I used ChatGPT to help me find information about Enlightenment innovators and their hardships that fits the goals of this textbook chapter. It gave me a great outline and formatting ideas. I then used the sources I had gathered to apply other elements to the chapter.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT [Large Language Model].