Gulliver's Travels And The Reflection Of Western Rationalism In 18th Century

Swift was the ironical English novelist in the 18th century, He used a unique perspective to criticize the social reality at that time. When people worshiped e scientific progress blindly, he has pointed out the drawbacks of rationalism.As the core of the Enlightenment, the spirit of rationalism is one of the valuable treasures that the European civilization brings to the whole world. It promotes the value of people and humanitarian, establishes the theory of Nature Rights, illuminates human minds with the lights of rationalism, and inspires people to pursue democracy and freedom, completely broken the unreasonable society systems. But the Europeans have gradually worshipped the rationalism on the techniques and tools. Swift awarded of the shortcomings of rationalism, he burlesqued the rationalism and the European civilization which was guided by rationalism. He recognized that the invention of the weapons by using the scientific knowledge, put human dragged into the war and the massacre of alien. The Mercantilist makes people greedy and vanity.With the development of the times, people recognize more clearly than ever that those human freedoms, equalities which advocated by Enlightenment thinkers are illusion. The desires, evil or dark side of human heart was excited by the frenzied pursuit of self-satisfied. "Rational kingdom" which was establish by human rationalism falls into a very terrible situation.The peculiar experience of the heroine in "Gulliver's Travels" revealed that one-sided pursuit of rational brings limitations and dangers, and indicated that Swift questioning the European rationalism and reflection on human society in 18th century.