The Enlightenment

1
The Enlightenment
2
The Age of Enlightenment

• Enlightenment Philosophers believed that they
  could apply the scientific method and use reason
  to explain human nature logically
• Rationalism truth can be determined by logical
  thinking

3
The Age of Reason

• Intellectual Revolution
• Great Change
• Ideas of Enlightenment
• Freedom of Speech
• Popular sovereignty (self rule)
• Checks and balances
• Separation of church and state
• Religious tolerance
• democracy, freedom

4

• Natural Law- objects in nature were expected to
  act in ways that were predictable
• Philosophes- (fee-luh-zawfs) Thinkers in the
  Enlightenment, after French word for philosopher
• Looked critically at society, published books,
  plays, pamphlets, articles, and newspapers

5
The Encyclopedia

• Handbook describing the ideas of the
  Enlightenment
• Edited by Denis Diderot (dee-droh) and Jean
  dAlembert (dah-lem-ber)
• First edition had 28 volumes
• Articles ranged from being informative to
  critical
• Attacked the church, the government, the slave
  trade, torture, taxes, war, etc.

6
Key Thinkers

• Thomas Hobbes
• Wrote Leviathan in 1651
• Beliefs
• People were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish
• In state of nature, people will fight, rob, and
  oppress each other
• Social Contract trade individual liberty for
  group safety
• To avoid violence, people choose a leader and
  give him absolute power
• Believed that only a powerful government could
  ensure an orderly society.

7
John Locke

• Wrote Two Treatises of Government
• More optimistic view of human nature
• People are generally reasonable and moral
• People have natural rights, rights that belong to
  all humans from birth
• Right to life, liberty, and property

8
Locke and Government

• People form government to protect these rights
• Best kind of government has limited power and is
  accepted by all citizens
• Against taxation without representation
• Government has an obligation to its people, if it
  fails them or violates their natural rights, the
  people have the right to overthrow it.

9
Philosophes

• Baron De Montesquieu (mohn-tes-kyoo)
• Published The Spirit of the Laws
• Said best govt was one that had balance of power
  with 3 branches of government
• Believed in checks to power

10
Voltaire

• French Writer, born Francois Marie Arouet
• Wrote Satires about French monarchy, nobility,
  and the religious controls of the church
• Jailed twice
• Critical of intolerance and suppression of
  personal freedoms
• I may disapprove of what you say, but I will
  defend to the death your right to say it

11
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (roo-soh)

• Published The Social Contract
• Believed people are naturally good, but
  environment, education, and laws corrupt them
• Believed people should choose their own
  government
• Popular sovereignty
• Government must be created by and controlled by
  the people
• Most philosophes believed in
• Enlightened Despotism
• System of government in which an absolute monarch
  would rule, but according to the principles of
  the Enlightenment

12
Mary Wollstonecraft

• Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women
• Spoke for womens rights
• Argued that Enlightenment ideas of equality
  should be extended to women
• Argued for womens right to vote and equal
  educational rights

13
Adam Smith

• Economist
• Author of Wealth of Nations (1776)
• Objected to the mercantilist systems
• Argued for the benefits of free trade system
• Recommended the government should stay out of
  business, and allow supply and demand to control
  the market