Enlightenment

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Enlightenment

• Late 1600s-1700s

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Background

• Late 1600s 1700s
• Spurred by the Scientific Revolution
• people believed that a new scientific approach
  would explain the natural world AND human
  behavior
• Deism universe as a machine governed by fixed
  laws by God
• God as Watchmaker
• Stressed Principles of
• Natural Law a universal law that can be found by
  using reason
• Reason intellect and common sense NOT faith

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Philosophes

• Began in France
• Enlightenment philosophers called philosophes
• Main Social Forms
• Salons intellectual meetings at peoples homes
• Madame de Pompadour, a rich French aristocrat,
  hosts the most famous ones in Paris
• Many salons held essay contests with prizes
• Gatherings at coffee houses
• Communal gathering spots where newspapers and
  other writings could be read and discussed

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Enlightenment Salon
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Coffeehouse
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Thomas Hobbes (Eng)

• 17th C., English, During years preceding English
  Civil War, he felt threatened and moved to Paris
• Wrote most famous work-Leviathan
• Named after all-powerful sea monster from the
  Bible, believed that government should also be
  all-powerful and absolute
• Main Ideas
• Denied divine right, but supported absolutism
• Social Contract
• People are naturally miserable and unhappy
• Humans need to enter a social contract to
  surrender their freedom to an absolute monarch
  who can maintain law and order
• Ruler is not part of contract, so people cant
  complain (i.e. no revolutions!!)
• Never won great popularity
• Supported absolute monarchy during English Civil
  War
• Overshadowed by John Locke

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John Locke (Eng)

• Much happier guy!
• English, supported Roundheads, fled to Holland
  during reign of Charles II, returned after
  Glorious revolution
• Wrote Two Treatises of Government
• Main Ideas
• People are naturally happy and possess Natural
  Rights life, liberty, and property
• Enter a social contract to preserve these rights
  by granting government limited power
• If the government failed to live up to the
  contract, the people have the right to alter it
• Greatly influenced
• Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence)
• Framers of the US Constitution
• Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract

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Baron de Montesquieu (Fr)

• 1689-1755, landed aristocrat
• Wrote The Spirit of Laws
• Urged government
• be broken into Executive, Legislative, and
  Judicial branches
• Separation of powers Checks and balances

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Voltaire (Fr)
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend
to the death your right to say it.

• 1694-1778, Upper middle class, exiled to England
  for some time
• Wrote Letters on the English
• Praised limited monarchy and civil liberties
• Denounced French censorship, injustice, and
  despotism
• Urged religious freedom, anti-Catholic Church
• Wrote many satirical plays making fun of society
  and government, Candide

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Rousseau (Fr)

• 1712-1778, Lower-class (?)
• Wrote
• Émile, new theories of education
• The Social Contract, Theories of government
• Main Ideas
• Human happy and possesed natural rights
• People entered a Social Contract, gave up some
  liberties to submit to the General Will (will of
  the majority)
• People created the Government (a necessary evil)
  to carry out General Will
• If government fails, people have the right to
  overthrow it
• Based on Locke, but emphasized General Will over
  individual rights
• Says government speaks for the General Will and
  thus has unlimited power

Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains
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Rousseau and Lockes Social Contract
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Diderot (Fr)

• 1713-1784, well educated, son of artisan
• Editor of first Encyclopedia
• Included many articles attacking Old Regime,
  religious intolerance, unjust taxation, and
  absolutism

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Enlightened Despots

• Absolute Monarchs who incorporated ideas of
  enlightenment into government policies
• King Frederick II of Prussia
• Banned torture, founded schools, promoted
  industry and agriculture
• Emperor Joseph II of Austria
• Abolition of serfdom, equalized taxes for all,
  freedom of press, seized Catholic lands (gave
  to hospitals), religious toleration for Jews and
  Protestants