Enlightenment“The Age of Reason”

Where else have we heard the term “enlightenment?”BuddhismWhat did that mean?

EnlightenmentA new intellectual movement that stressed

reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems

Reached its height in the mid 1700s

What was it?

Scientific Revolution? (Mid 1500s)Careful observation and a willingness to question

accepted beliefs

Renaissance? (1300-1600)Humanism – human potential and

achievementsSecular – worldly

AbsolutismPeople didn’t have much power or sayEnglish Civil War

Causes…?

Where do you think it started?

The Enlightenment reached its height in France

Paris became the meeting place to discuss ideas

Philosophes – social critics during the Enlightenment

What do you think they are doing here?

Salons – a social gathering of intellectuals and artists;

What you think each one of these means?

Reasontruth could be discovered through reason or logical

thinkingNature

what was natural was also good and reasonableHappiness

urged people to seek well-being on earthProgress

society and humankind could improveLiberty

Called for liberties that the English people had won

Main beliefs during Enlightenment

What does this do?What happens if you

don’t?

Social Contract:Agreement by which

people define and limit their individual rights, thus creating an organized society or govt.

Social Contract

4 Enlightenment Philosophes

Hobbes

Locke

Rousseau

Voltaire

Each had a different view about :HUMANS

AND

HOW GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTROL

THEM

Lived in England during the Civil WarState of human nature:

Unhappy and miserableIf you grew up during this time, would you

want a strong government to take control?

Supported royal absolutismWrote The Leviathan

Powerful sea monster in the bibleGovt. should also be all-powerful and absolute

Thomas Hobbes

SOCIAL CONTRACT

What would Hobbes’ theme song be, and why?

Da Nuh Nuh/Da Nuh Nuh

Also lived during Civil War and Glorious Revolution

State of human nature:Happy

People possessed natural rights to life, liberty, and property

Purpose of government: protect those rightsIf the govt. failed to protect, people could…?

Overthrow it!

Where have we heard Locke’s ideas before?

John Locke

SOCIAL CONTRACT

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..”

Declaration of Independence

Constitution

What would Locke’s theme song be, and why?

Da Nuh Nuh/Da Nuh Nuh

Francois Marie ArouetBorn in FranceHad been jailed twice for sharp criticismCriticized laws, customs, and even religion of

France

Used his pen as a weapon to combat prejudice“I do not agree with a word you say but will

defend to the death your right to say it!”What influence did he have over the U.S.?

Freedom of speech

Voltaire

What would Voltaire’s theme song be, and why?

Da Nuh Nuh/Da Nuh Nuh

From Switzerland, born lower-classState of human nature:

Happy and had natural rightsWrote The Social ContractPeople agreed to surrender rights to submit to

the General WillWill of the majority

Government was necessary to carry out rule of the majority

Used for communism and dictatorshipsHow???

Jean Jacques Rousseau

SOCIAL CONTRACT

What would Rousseau’s theme song be, and why?

Da Nuh Nuh/Da Nuh Nuh

What do you think might happen??How could IDEAS cause revolutions?

With all these new ideas about govt…