THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

(/THE AGE OF REASON)(17th?-)18th century Europe

“Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own intelligence!” (Kant, “What Is Enlightenment?” 1784)

Intellectual Background Scientific revolution

Francis Bacon and the scientific method Empiricism Isaac Newton and Principia Mathematica Mechanistic world view / Deism

=>empirical analysis and mechanistic explanation of the laws of human behavior and interaction

Enlightenment Principles RELIANCE ON REASON Accept knowledge based on observation,

logic, and reason, not on faith PROGRESS Like the physical world, human nature

can be understood and enhanced by discovering its natural laws

The Philosophe Movement Progress: Human history is largely a history of the improvement of

humanity in three respects: a) developing a knowledge of the natural world and the ability to manipulate the

world through technology; b) overcoming ignorance bred of superstitions and religions; c) overcoming human cruelty and violence through social improvements and

government structures. Deism: Deism is a term coined in the philosophe movement and applies

to two related ideas: a) religion should be reasonable and should result in the highest moral behavior of

its adherents; b) the knowledge of the natural world and the human world has nothing to do

whatsoever with religion and should be approached completely free from religious ideas or convictions.

Tolerance: The greatest human crimes, as far as the philosophes were concerned, have been perpetrated in the name of religion and the name of God. A fair, just, and productive society absolutely depends on religious tolerance. This means not merely tolerance of varying Christian sects, but tolerance of non-Christian religions as well (for some philosophes ).

Voltaire Born François Marie Arouet in 1694 Strong supporter of Freedom of Speech,

Thought, & Religion Humans are liars, traitors, ingrates, thieves,

misers, killers, fanatics, hypocrites, fools and so on. Yet, it’s normal.

Believed government should ensure personal freedoms

Satirist who wrote about the French Monarchy, the nobility, and the church

Imprisoned twice in France for his views

Candide Published 1759 Inspired by Swift Satire on philosophical optimism

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz argues that everything has a purpose; hence we live in the “best of all possible worlds”

Problem of Evil (Seven Years’ War, Lisbon Earthquake)

Propaganda Personal agenda Humor Humanitarian?

Essay on Man All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction which thou canst not

see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good; And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s

spite; One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right

Alexander Pope, 1733-34