The Enlightenment

1
The Enlightenment

• Change Revolution
• Spring Semester
• Mrs. Huff

2
What WAS the Enlightenment?

• A period during the 18th century where
  philosophers believed that they could apply the
  scientific method and use reason to explain human
  nature logically.

3
Foundations of. . .

• The foundation of the Enlightenment was a belief
  in the following
• The natural world is predictable and rational.
• Human beings are part of the natural world.
• Therefore, human beings must also be predictable
  and rational.
• But. . . Is this true?

4
The Enlightenment stessed
Reason and Rationality
Instinct and Emotion
5
Characteristics of. . .

• People believed that every natural phenomenon had
  a cause and an effect.
• RATIONALISM The belief that truth can be
  arrived at solely by rational (logical) thinking.
  
• - Age of Reason

6

• NATURAL LAW Objects in nature behave in ways
  that humans can understand and predict.
• The ideas of Newton and the scientists of the
  Scientific Revolution seemed to back-up that idea
  of an orderly universe.
• The laws of nature governed the universe and its
  creatures.
• God had made the world and made rules for all
  living things. To live in harmony, we must
  follow the natural laws.

7
The Crusaders

• Philosophes Thinkers of the Enlightenment were
  called philosophes.
• They were philosophers (thinkers) as well as
  critics of society.
• Sort of like the Humanist of the
  Renaissance/Reformation.
• FRANCE Was the birthplace of the Enlightenment
• Strongest political power as well as the dominant
  cultural influence in Europe.
• The best educated Europeans spoke French. (Think
  Peter the Great westernization.)

8
The Thinkers

• Baron de Montesquieu The Spirit of the Laws
• Described the perfect government. Concluded
  that the British had the most perfect government.
  
• The three branch system has natural checks and
  balances.
• Although, he was largely misinformed as the
  British technically dont have three branches!
• These concepts greatly influenced the U.S.
  Founding Fathers as they framed the U.S.
  Constitution.

9
François-Marie Arouet "Voltaire"

• Key Works Philosophical Letters, Candide
• Fought against intolerance and injustice,
  especially in cases involving religious
  prejudice.
• I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend
  to the death your right to say it.
• Basis for our 1st Amendment (GRAPeS)

10
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Key Work The Social Contract
• People are born good, but the environment,
  education and laws corrupt them.
• The good state that people are born into can only
  be preserved if they live under a government that
  they have chosen and have control.
• Basis for popular sovereignty A government
  created by, and subject to the will of the
  people.
• History repeats itself in cycles of decay.

11
Contradictory Nature of the Philsophes

• Religion
• They did not criticize religion rather fought
  against
• Superstition
• Institution of the church
• Ignorance of (some of) the clergy
• Monarchy
• Recognized the role of the monarchy,
• But distrusted absolute monarchies

12
Enlightened Despotism

• Form of government favored by the Philosophes.
• System of government in which absolute monarchs
  ruled according to the principles of the
  Enlightenment.
• Reaction from absolute monarchs?
• Obviously, not a popular idea. They censored
  books, prohibited the publishing of books, the
  clergy preached against the philosophes.

13
Words associated with the Enlightenment

• Reason
• Rationality
• Logic
• Scientific Method
• Predictable
• Optimistic

14
As a result. . .

• As a result of this burst of logical thinking,
  people began to question things
• Is it logical for a nation to be governed by a
  king over 2,000 miles away?
• Is it reasonable for a nation of impoverished
  peasants to accept the fact that the royalty is
  living in luxury while the poor struggle to
  afford to put food in their mouths?
• The answers to these questions give way to the
  final 2 revolutions of Change Revolution.