The Enlightenment

An Intellectual Revolution

The Enlightenment

A movement called the Age of Reason when people began to question the tradition in place governing humans in law, education, religion, and government

The United States and France experienced the effects of this movement in the 18th century

The Road to The Age of Reason The Magna Carta signed

by King John in England 1215 limiting monarchism

Creation of a parliament

The Renaissance questions art and literature in both subject matter and technique…celebrating Humanism

The Reformation questions the Catholic Church and the power of the Pope

The Scientific Revolution questions the laws of nature

Now, people begin to question how they are ruled!

The Age of Absolutism Collides with the Enlightenment

They believed citizens could create a utopian society…a perfect society based on reason and natural law

The intellectuals who pushed these new ideas were called Philosophes

They were critics, economists, and reformers

The Philosophes

Started by English thinkers of the 1600’s

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke Both are deeply affected by the

events of the English Civil War between:

Charles I and Parliament

Thomas Hobbes

Ideas are in “Leviathan” (1651) Believed all humans had wicked and

selfish tendencies Governments are necessary for law

and order Must give up rights to a strong rulers

in exchange for law and order This agreement is the Social Contract Absolute Monarchs were necessary

John Locke

Had a more positive view of human nature

Humans had the ability to rule themselves

Favored self-government over absolute rule

Believed people born free and equal with 3 Natural Rights:

Life, Liberty, and Property

Sole purpose of government to protect these rights

If government fails, citizens have the right to overthrow the government

Power of the government comes from the consent of the governed

Inspired by the Glorious Revolution of 1689

Thought James II deserved to be overthrown!

Book “Two Treatises on Government”

Paris becomes the hip place to discuss these subversive ideas:

Salons Wealthy patrons who despised the

king of France Unhappy citizens hungry for new

ideas

Voltaire

Pen name, real name Francois Marie Arouet, famous essay, “Candide”(1759)

Used satire against opponents Targeted clergy, aristocracy, and king Spent time in prison and exiled Championed free speech, press,

assembly, and religion

“I disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it”

Baron de Montesquieu

An aristocrat and a lawyer Studied the Ancient Roman Republic Admired the British system Supported 3 branches of govenrment Executive, Legislative, Judiciary Checks and Balances and Separation

of Power “On the Spirit of the Laws” (1748)

“Power should be a check to power”

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Son of a poor watchmaker/nobility abolished

Believed all people were equal Supported true democracy Humans are good, but the society in which

they live is corrupt and bad Submission to the authority of the will of

the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others

“The Social Contract” (1762) Grand-daddy of all subversive thinkers: His writings inspire communism/socialism

“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains”

Cesare Beccaria

Italian philosophe “On Crimes and Punishment” (1764) Criticized common abuses of justice Abolish torture of prisoners Cruel and unusual punishment Speedy trial Punishment should be based on the

crime Abolish capital punishment

Adam Smith

Free markets…no government interference

Laissez-faire Capitalism Scottish economist “The Wealth of Nations”

http://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html

Adam Smith Quote

The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.

It is not by augmenting the capital of the country, but by rendering a greater part of that capital active and productive than would otherwise be so, that the most judicious operations of banking can increase the industry of the country.

Mary Wollstonecraft “ A Vindication of the Rights of

Women” (1792) Women need to be educated as well

as men…it was the key to gaining freedom

Women should be able to pursue all occupations

Women should participate in government

She died giving birth to daughter Mary

Her daughter,Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, went on to write “Frankenstein”

Major Effects of the Enlightenment

These radical writers challenged long-held tradition

Inspired reforms and revolutions The American Revolution (1776)

Constitution and Bill of Rights The French Revolution (1789)

Ptolemaic Theory-Wrong

Ptolemaic Universe Earth-centric (geo) contained the moon

, planets and the fixed stars

Proved wrong by Copernicus and Galileo

Copernicus-Heliocentric

Galileo

Galileo turned his telescope to the skies and made a

remarkable series of discoveries: – mountains on the moon, – four moons revolving around Jupiter, – sunspots. • Galileo’s observations come into conflict

with the Vatican…forced to recant The Starry Messenger

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton-Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University, where he wrote his major work, “Principia”

Three Laws of Motion In mathematical terms,

Newton explained that every object in the universe is attracted to every other object by a force called gravity