The lyrics chosen for the essay is “Imagine” by John Lennon. The lyrics of the essay are:
Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too
Imagine all the people Living life in peace
You, you may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you will join us And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people Sharing all the world
You, you may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you will join us And the world will live as one
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Enlightenment Ideas Presented
The lyrics present enlightenment in the absence of countries and religion and everyone lives at peace because there is nothing to die for. The views show that the world will live together as one in the event that things that separate us are removed. Another view held is in the absence of possessions and people do not have any greed or hunger. Everyone will be treated like a brother. It also indicates all people of the world sharing the world together and the impact that it is going to have. The enlightenment indicated is that of removing things that separate us such as religion, political systems through countries, and property to create a unified world. The world would live at peace and there will be no conflicts if this happens.
Philosopher’s Ideas
The song is seen through the philosophical ideas of John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. John Locke’s philosophy promoted religious tolerance. In one of his writings, he notes that there has been too much blood that has been shed on the matters of faith. He thus creates a distinction between what is generally known and accepted and what should be taken by faith. His view is that knowledge or faith should not demand the use of force against people that differ intellectually or religiously. He notes that there are rational methods to solve disputes and that there is no need to quarrel. No justification can be made for using force on the matters of faith.
Voltaire’s philosophy centered on personal liberty and freedom of speech. He advocated for human beings as rational beings that were able to think for themselves and did not need institutions to help them think. He noted that many people are not capable of rational thinking and usually turn to religion for their guidance. Voltaire became a strong advocate for religious tolerance and stated that open religious beliefs are fine as long as they do not get murderous.
Jean Jacques Rousseau showed the divided that existed between society and human nature. He noted that man was good in the state of nature. The state of nature is similar to that of other animals and the condition of mankind before the emergence of civilizations. However, man became corrupted by the growth of society and social interdependence. His view is that society has had a negative influence on men. It has led to self-love and self-preservation and men taking pleasure in the weakness of others.
Enlightenment Ideas Presented
The song represents the ideas of John Locke by agreeing to the fact that there has been too much bloodshed in the name of faith and religion. John Locke noted that there should no force used on matters of faith. An example of this is seen in the lyrics that state “Nothing to kill or die for; And no religion”. It shows that the absence of religion would mean that people would not use force on matters of faith.
Voltaire also maintains a similar view by indicated that religion should be rational and that religion should be promoted as long as it is not murderous. An example of this is seen in the line which states that “And no religion, too; Imagine all the people; Living life in peace”. This also denotes how religion should be used in a rational way by human beings to promote living in peace.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau advocated that human beings have been corrupted by civilization due to self-love and self-preservation. Such matters of civilization are seen in the lines which state “Imagine there's no countries; It isn't hard to do; Nothing to kill or die for”. With no countries or civilizations, the world would have been at peace and human beings would not be corrupted. The lines that state that “Imagine no possessions; no need for greed or hunger” show the absence of self-love or self-preservation. Possessions, greed, and hunger are matters of self-love and self-preservation which are held by Rousseau.
