S/H/26. How did travel and exploration influence the Enlightenment?

This paper explores the impact of travel and exploration in the 18th century. The discovery of America and Pacific islands was a major influence on Enlightenment philosophy. This essay analyses opposing arguments of conservative and radical philosophers, with key emphasis on Romanticism, the four-stage theory, the ignoble savages, the natural state of man and feminism. It argues that industrialisating Europe was an important factor in shaping people's reaction to the "savages" and that travel discoveries helped create a 'science of man'.