THE ENLIGHTENMENT

IMMANUEL KANT:

“Dare to Know! Have the

courage to use your own

intelligence!”

Renaissance

Reformation

Scientific Revolution

Newton

Locke

ORIGINS:

Periods:

Reason: Rational Thought

Secularism

Social Progress

Education of the Masses

Freedom and Liberty

Tolerance

Legal Reform

CHARACTERISTICS:

Laws of Nature!

Who where they?

Common bonds

Students of society

who analyzed its evils

and advanced reforms.

PHILOSOPHES:

Skepticism

Cultural Relativism

PHILOSOPHERS

Advocated religious

toleration

Deism: existence of a

“mechanic” who had

created the universe

World ran according to

natural law

VOLTAIRE:(1694-1778)

►Every man is guilty of all the

good he didn’t do.

► Judge a man by his questions

rather than by his answers.

► Men are equal; it is not

birth, but virtue that makes

the difference

VOLTAIRE’S WISDOM

►It is dangerous to be right

when the government is

wrong.

► Love truth and pardon

error.

►The way to become boring

is to say everything.

► I may not agree with what

you have to say, but I will

defend to the death your

right to say it.

Attacks traditional

religion

Advocates religious

toleration

Denounces slavery

Focus: use of reason

“Natural Laws”

governing society

Separation of powers• Executive• Legislative• Judicial

MONTESQUIEU: (1689-1755)

The Persian Letters: 1721 The Spirit of Laws: 1748

Man is born

free, but

everywhere he

is in chains.

ROUSSEAU: (1712-1778)

Social Contract

General Will

Liberty: achieved by being

forced to follow what was

best for all people.

Freedom: adherence to

laws one has imposed on

oneself

THE SOCIAL CONTRACT 1762

Principles of a

Democracy

ADAM SMITH

Economic Liberty:

-Free trade

-Laissez-faire

-The Wealth of Nations: 1776- 1. Law of Self- Interest- 2. Law of Competition- 3. Law of Supply and Demand

THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHES

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

PARISIAN SALON

MADAME GEOFFRIN’S SALON

THE SALON

Philosophes and guests engaged in conservations

and spread the ideas of the Enlightenment

Run by wealthy women in urban areas

Reputation of salon depended upon the stature of

males a hostess could attract

Females influence decision making and literary and

artistic taste

Mary Wollstonecraft:

Vindication of the Rights of

Women: 1792• British• Women obeying men

same as monarchs have absolute power over their subjects

• Reason innate in all humans- women entitled to the same rights as men in education and political life

ROLE OF WOMEN

Attempts to summarize

the state of knowledge

Freedom of thought and

expression

Progress through

knowledge

DIDEROT

ENCYCLOPEDIA

First published 1751

28 Volumes

Illustrated

Cross-Referenced

Diderot’s Encyclopedie

Diderot’s Encyclopedie

Diderot’s Encyclopedie

ENCYCLOPEDIA

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