<p>I took a euro essay for class last week, got my score back. I was quite surprised at my score; could some of you grade this? (1-9, or a percent).</p>
<p>Prompt: Evaluate how the ideas of Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud challenged Enlightenment assumptions about human behavior and the role of reason.</p>
<pre><code> Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud both challenged Enlightenment assumptions about human behavior and the role of reason. The Enlightenment thought humans were superior to animals and should think reasonably. Darwin believed humans evolved over time into what the species is today. It was this concept of evolution that Darwin understood which Enlightenment did not have. Sigmund Freud's id, ego, and super ego theory brought about a new way of thought that challenged the Enlightenment. Darwin's theory of evolution and Sigmund Freud's advancement in psychology challenged many of the Enlightenment ideas.
Charles Darwin came up with the idea of evolution after his journey to the Galapogos Islands in 1864. This idea shattered not only the church but also brought a new perspective to the scientific society. Prior to Darwin, scientists and thinkers of the Enlightenment had little or no concept of evolution. The scientists of the Enlightenment thought human behavoir was constant while Darwin showed all organisms including humans evolve. The Enlightenment assumed humans transceded animals and believed human behavior was unique and special. Darwin's theory of evolution showed men are like other mammals and are no different.
Sigmund Freud had a much greater impact on the ideas of the Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment, reason was valued to the highest degree. People like Descarts and Bacon, though opposing each other, agreed reason is the path to truth. Allowing emotions and irrationality was extremely negative to the philosphe. Freud brought about an entirely new concept of the human mind. He stated there are three parts of the mind: The id, the ego, and the superego. The id seeks pleasure and avoids pain. It is the urge and desire, but not very rational. The superego was the moral portion of the mind. It wants to do what is morally correct. The ego is the balance of the id and the superego. It takes into account the desire but also what is morally right. The Enlightenment thinkers wanted to silence the id. The philosophes assumed the more one can ignore desire and irrationality, the better one can be. Having a mind of pure logic and reason was their goal. Sigmund Freud disagreed and challenged this idea. He believed a combination of the id, the ego, and the superego will make a healthy mind. Passion and desire played an active role in humans. These two ideas conflicted. The assumption that logic and reason is superior to emotion and passion was challenged and defeated by Freud's advancements of psychology.
Many ideas and assumptions were created through the Enlightenment. They believed the human was greater than animals in all ways. Darwin challenged this idea when he wrote his book on evolution Origin of the Species of Man* after his journey to the Galapagos. He said all organisms evolve, including humans. Humans originated from a common ancestor with the rat and the giraffe. This opposed the assumption that humans were superior to animals in every way. Sigmund Freud's development of his 3 part human mind crushed the assumptions of the philosphes that logic and reason make the greatest man. He showed the id, the section of pleasure and desire, played a major and balanced role as the other two parts, the ego and superego. These two scientists introduced two revolutionary concepts to the scientific community in Europe, evolution and psychology. These challenged previously accepted assumptions about human behavior and reason.
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<p>Please grade, I'm curious what others besides my Euro teacher thinks of my essay. Btw, all spelling errors and things were in the essay.</p>
<p>One question, do graders get to look up dates and book names while they grade your essay? ;)</p>