The Age of Reason

1
The Age of Reason

• AKA the Age of Enlightenment
• AKA the Enlightenment
• English 11 AP

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Basic Definition

• The Age of Reason (or Enlightenment) was a
  movement in Europe and the New World that
  embraced scientific discovery, personal liberty,
  religious tolerance, and the notion that REASON
  was the most important element in our lives.
• The time-frame varies, but for our purposes we
  will say that the Age of Reason began around the
  RESTORATION of Charles II (1660s) and lasted
  until the French Revolution (1790s).

3
Publications

• Denis Diderot published an Encyclopedia of
  Sciences in the 1700s. This was the first text
  of its kind to explore both scientific
  discoveries and scientific method.

4
More Publications

• Adam Smith published the Wealth of Nations, in
  1776, a text which encouraged Meritocracy and
  suggested a laissez faire attitude towards
  markets and economies. It became the foundation
  for the modern capitalist system. (The principle
  is, if left alone, the market will sort itself.)

5
The Dictionary

• In 1755, Samuel Johnson published the first
  comprehensive English dictionary. It was, at the
  time, considered one of the most important feats
  of scholarship in English academia. It took him
  nine years to write, and is a riot to read.
  (Example His definition for oats reads a
  grain which in England is generally given to
  horses, but in Scotland supports the people.)
  Johnson also wrote poetry, but it was for his
  dictionary, as well as his literary criticism,
  that he was well-known. That was the sort of
  writing that was valued at the time.

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Biography Boswells Life of Johnson

• James Boswell wrote The Life of Samuel Johnson in
  the 1760s, and it became the model for all modern
  biographies. It was only at this point that the
  biography, as a literary form, became popular in
  Western literature.

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Scientific Discoveries and inventions during the
Age of Reason

• 1687 Newtons Three Universal Laws of Motion
• 1714 Fahrenheit Mercury Thermometer
• The Flying Shuttle Loom
• The Steam Engine
• The Cotton Gin
• Ben Franklin Lightning rod 1752
• 1781 William Herschel discovers Uranus

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Philosophy during the Age of Reason

• People became less focused on the Divine Right of
  Kings, and more focused on individual rights
• People used REASON and scientific method to
  explain their world
• People believed that reason could improve society
• People believed in religious tolerance and
  individual religious practice
• In the late 1700s Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A
  Vindication on the Rights of Women, widely
  regarded as the first feminist work ever
  published.

9
Travelogues

• In the 1600s and 1700s, travelogues were another
  form of non-fiction texts that were very popular.
  As European Empires expanded, people were
  anxious to know more about the world around them.

10
Jonathan Swift

• Swifts novel Gullivers Travels is a
  fictionalized (and absurdist) travelogue, in the
  style of the 18th century. In it, he chronicles
  the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, who finds
  adventure on the high seas and learns a great
  deal about the world around him.
• Swifts literary style is decidedly 18th century,
  with lengthy sentences, long on detail, and many
  subtle references to the political situations in
  Europe at the time.