C H A P T E R 1 7

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•How did the Scientific Revolution change the way people looked at themselves and the world?

FOUNDATIONS OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

•The Renaissance•Learning Greek as well as Latin allowed thinkers to read more books by others like Ptolemy and Plato

FOUNDATIONS OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

•New & Improved Technology•New instruments like telescope & microscope• Printing press spread ideas quicker

FOUNDATIONS OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

•New Math•Algebra, geometry and trigonometry became standard•Provided a base for scientific theory to be tested

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

• Heliocentric Theory• Advanced by Copernicus, solidified by Kepler, and taken a

step further by Galileo

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

• Isaac Newton• Universal Law of Gravitation• New view of universe as “one huge, regulated, uniform

machine that worked according to natural laws” which would last until Albert Einstein

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

• The Scientific Method• Through the work of all scientists of the time, the

procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence was created

• Francis Bacon : inductive reasoning (small bits of evidence to create the big picture)• Rene Descartes : rationalism, reason is the chief

source of knowledge

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

• Causes ?• Effects?• How did world view change?• What groups were affected the most ? Why?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•What does the term Enlightenment mean and how did it change the way people viewed human reasoning?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• According to Webster’s Dictionary:

• 1: the act or means of enlightening : the state of being enlightened

• 2 capitalized: a philosophic movement of the 18th century marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism —used with the

• 3 Buddhism: a final blessed state marked by the absence of desire or suffering

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Common terms used during the Age of Enlightenment by the “thinkers” of the time…• Reason• Natural Law• Hope• Progress

• Would these terms apply to everyone? Why or why not?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•What influence did John Locke have upon Enlightenment thinkers?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• John Locke• Lived during the English Glorious Revolution (1689)• He believed that with reason and the proper information

people could make good decisions• He believed that people entered into an agreement with

their government, therefore people had to consent to their government• This agreement was a type of contract• Government must respect the natural rights of people• Life, Liberty, Property• If government abuses those rights the people have a right to

overthrow it and institute a new government

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• Thomas Hobbes• Lived during the English Civil War and execution of

Charles I• Wrote The Leviathon• Believed that human nature required a strong ruler to

keep people in check• Humans were naturally selfish & greedy… in his words

“nasty, brutish, and short”.

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How does the cover of Hobbes’ book demonstrate his ideas about people and government?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Many of the new philosophes read the works of Hobbes and Locke• Due to new theories regarding science, reason

and progress most were in agreement with Locke’s ideas regarding human nature (tabula rasa) and relationship between government and the governed• The new philosophes included: Voltaire, Diderot,

Montesquieu, and Rousseau

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•What are the major ideas of Voltaire, Wollstonecraft, Diderot, Rousseau, Smith, and Montesquieu?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Baron de Montesquieu• Wrote The Spirit of the Laws to study types of

governments using the scientific methods• Looked at three forms of government: republic, limited

monarchies, and despotism• Admired the separation of powers into branches that

he saw in England: executive, legislative, & judicial• His ideas directly influenced the US Constitution

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• Voltaire• Considered the most well known and most

outspoken of all the philosophes• Was invited to the courts of numerous monarchs

and corresponded with many more• Was anti-clerical; believed organized religion was

corrupt• Followed the religious idea called deism

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•Denis Diderot• Widely read and studied many subjects and

languages• Edited the 28 volume Encyclopedia • The Encyclopedia helped spread new ideas and

challenge old ones• Called for reform of the government• Called for toleration• Called for increased freedoms and equality

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• Adam Smith• A physiocrat a thinker who focused on

economics• Advanced the idea of laissez-faire• Wrote The Wealth of Nations• Government role in the economy should be limited• Government should protect people &nation from invasion• Government should provide schools• Government should help provide roads, canals, etc

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Jean Jacques Rousseau (JJR)• Considered both an Enlightenment thinker and a

Romantic• Believed that both emotion and reason were

important to human development• On Government:• Felt that government had co-opted society and therefore

a social contract was necessary• The social contract provides that people agree to abide

by the general will because it is what is best for the entire community

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• JJR (cont’d)• On Education• Education should foster children’s natural instincts• Would support today’s Montessori schools

• On Women• Women were “naturally” different than men• Should be educated only in their spheres as wife and

mother

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•Mary Wollstonecraft• Considered the founder of the women’s rights

movement• Arbitrary power of government is wrong• Arbitrary power of men over women is also wrong• Women should have the same rights in education,

economic and political life

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• What were the main ideas of the Enlightenment philosophes?• What was 1 or 2 things all seemed to agree upon?• Which thinkers were most different? Why?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•What is an Enlightened Despot and how did Prussia, Austria, and Russia reflect this?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Enlightened Depots were rulers who tried to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their royal powers

Joseph II of Austria Catherine II of Russia Frederick II of Prussia

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Frederick II or Frederick the Great• Ruled Prussia (what becomes Germany)

• Prussia was known as the “Sparta of the North”

• Frederick II allowed limited reforms in religion, press, and criminal punishment

• Frederick II did NOT abolish serfdom or change the social structure which kept the nobles in power

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Catherine II or Catherine the Great• Ruled Russia

• most believe she murdered her husband Peter III

• Allowed for very limited reforms in education and law

• A peasant rebellion in 1795 caused her to change her mind regarding any freedom for the serfs and she allowed her nobles to suppress them further

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Joseph II• Ruled Austria; co-ruled with his mother Maria Theresa for

10 years then ruled alone• Joseph II enacted the most reforms• Abolished serfdom• Eliminated death penalty• Equality of law• Religious toleration• Land reform

• Most, if not all, of his reforms were REVOKED after he died

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• How “enlightened” were these rulers? • What seemed to be their main interests? Proof?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•What advances were made in the fields of art, music, and literature during the Age of the Enlightenment?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Art• Rococo becomes the popular style of art and architecture• “delicate, light, elegant, pleasurable” all describe this

style

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• Music• The world’s most enduring music comes from this

era…what we now call classical• Bach, Handel, Haydn & Mozart

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• Literature• Novels became increasingly popular

• Coffeehouses became a place to meet and discuss news, poetry, books (Think Starbuck’s without the free downloads or wifi )

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

•How did the American Revolution reflect Enlightenment ideals?

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Background to the American Revolution• The royal line switched to the Hanover family in 1714;

the Hanovers did not know or understand English customs

• By the time the Hanover Kings were ready to reassert their power, the colonies had experienced a degree of self-governance they did not want to give up

• The Seven Years War (aka the French & Indian War) was a drain on British $ and they needed to raise more to maintain their empire

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• The British View• Americans were colonists• Under the theory of mercantilism, the purpose of colonies

was to enrich the mother country• The British had defended the colonies in North America

against the French and should help pay for those costs• Even in Britain, the most democratic nation of the time,

was not a democracy!• Only wealthy, Protestant landowners participated in

Parliament’s House of Commons• The right to vote in Britain would not expand until 1832,

1868, and 1884 to include men with property, farmers, and workers

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• The American View• England had no right to tax the colonists• England had no right to prevent settlement west of the

Proclamation Line of 1763• The writings of Locke and Smith provided the basis of

their arguments• Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness• Laissez-faire• Consent of the governed• Social contract & the general will

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• The American Revolution• The French (longtime enemy of Britain)supported the

colonists• The American colonists won• Established the principles of the Enlightenment in the

Constitution and the Bill of Rights• Enlightenment ideas were used to further revolutionary

ideas in France in 1789 and in South America (or Latin America) in the 1820’s

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

• Summary• P. 570 visual summary• P. 571-573 regent’s practice

•Enlightenment ideas helped to stimulate people's sense of individualism, and the basic belief in equal rights.