enlightenment society & politics
TRANSCRIPT
The Enlightenment
Politics & Philosophy
Bell Ringer
In your notebooks, answer:
• What was the Enlightenment?• How did the SR impact the
Enlightenment?
Political Enlightenment
Three Themes in the Political Realm
1. Propertyo Central featureo Gives an individual a stake in society
2. Rightso Every individual is entitled to basic rights
simply because they exist
3. Lawo That which makes 1 & 2 worko Guarantees property & rights
Political Philosophes
John Locke1632-1704
Most influential writing was “Two Treatises of Civil Government” written in 1690
Locke’s Philosophy
• The individual must become a “rational creature”
• Virtue can be learned & practiced• Human beings possess free will
o They should be prepared for freedomo Obedience should be out of
conviction, not fear
Locke’s Philosophy (cont.)
• Legislators owe their power to a contract with the people
• Neither kings nor wealth are divinely ordained
• There are certain natural rights that are endowed by God to all human beingso Life, liberty, & property
• Favored a republic
Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)
Most influential writing was “Spirit of the Laws” written in 1748
“Countries are well-cultivated, not as they are fertile, but as they are free.”
Montesquieu’s Philosophy
• Used England’s government as a model for: • The separation of powers
• Executive Power = King • Legislative Power = Parliament• Judicial Power = Courts
• Checks & balances
• Monarchs should be subject to constitutional limits on their power
Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778
Most influential writing was “The Social Contract” written in 1762
Rousseau’s Philosophy
• Tabula Rasa (blank slate)• Best traits of human character are
products of nature• Society corrupts people, therefore,
we must fix society
Rousseau (cont.)
• In The Social Contract:
o The right kind of political order could make people truly moral & free
o Individual moral freedom could be achieved only by learning to subject one’s individual interests to the “General Will”
Rousseau - Social Contract (cont.)
o Individuals could do this by entering into a social contract - not with their rulers, but with each otheroThis social contract was derived from
human nature -NOT from history, tradition, or the Bible
o People = most free & moral under a republican form of government with a direct democracy
Philosophical Enlightenment
Marquis de Condorcet1743-1794
Most influential writing: Progress of the Human Mind (1794)
Condorcet’s Philosophy
• Expectation of universal happiness• Every individual guided by reason
could enjoy true independence• Advocated:
o Free & equal educationo Constitutionalismo Equal rights for women
Immanuel Kant1724-1804
Most influential work:Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Kant’s Philosophy
• Investigated the structure & limitations of reason
• Believed he created a compromise between the empiricists and the rationalists (reason + experience = Enlightenment)
Denis Diderot1713-1784
Most influential writing:The Encyclopedia
(1751)(coauthor: Jean le Rond
d’Alembert)
Diderot’s Encyclopédie
• Complete cycle of knowledge that changed the general way of thinking
• 28 volumes• Alphabetical, cross-
referenced, illustrated
Voltaire1694-1778
• François Marie Arouet
• Most famous book: Candide (1759)
• Known for sharp wit that was often critical of the church and state
Voltaire (cont.)• Wrote plays,
novels, poetry, essays, & letters
• Fierce defender of civil liberties, especially:o Religious freedomo Free tradeo Freedom of speech
• Spent time imprisoned in the Bastille
Voltaire (cont.)
• Life (video)• Last words
Words of Wisdom from Voltaire
• Each group will get a quote from Voltaire
• Your job is to: o Discuss the quote & figure out what
Voltaire meanto Offer to the class your group’s
interpretation of Voltaire’s wisdom & how it relates to the Enlightenment
Homework
• Worksheet: Rousseau’s The Social Contract
• Due next class period