The Age of Enlightenment

The ideas of the 18th century with their criticism of society and the Church express an optimistic faith in human ability and reason. The rationalism of René Descartes and the philosophical ideas from others such as David Hume, J.-J. Rousseau and G. Leibniz culminate in the idea of moving society in the direction of greater freedom, equality, tolerance and humanity. The Enlightenment was an international movement that found different forms of expression in different countries; the French Revolution and the American War of Independence were among its offshoots. The idea was that in a social perspective and by means of a sober acquisition of knowledge and cognition, mankind could achieve self-determination and better living conditions. The leading Danish spokesmen for the ideas of the Enlightenment were Ludvig Holberg, J.F. Struensee, P.A. Heiberg and Knud Lyne Rahbek.

Leading considerations in the Age of Enlightenment are human reason and people’s place in society. In Bakkehuset, even later in life after 1800, Knud Lyne Rahbek continued to base himself on the ideals of freedom and enlightenment he had held in his youth. At the same time, Kamma Rahbek took an interest in the new Romantic art and in the young poets and artists of Romanticism, so that the home in Bakkehuset combined the great cultural and intellectual movements of the time, which together in Denmark are also known as the Golden Age.