ENLIGHTENMENT PERIOD17th and 18th Centuries
WHAT WAS IT?
Less a set of ideas than it was a set of attitudes
At its core was: Criticism A questioning of traditional institutions, customs
and morals Viewpoint summed up by Jean-Jacques
Rousseau in The Social Contract: “Man is born free and everywhere he is in
chains” Most popular thinkers were those who could
simplify and publicise new viewpoints
CHARACTERISTICS OF ENLIGHTENMENTEverything had a cause and effectRationalism – truth can be arrived
at solely by reason, or rational, logical thinking
Reasoning to Solve Social ProblemsQuestioning of established ideas
Did not attack religion, but superstition
Disliked Absolute Monarchyaka – Age of Reason
IMMANUEL KANT
Read Kant’s What is Enlightenment from 1784 and answer the following questions.
Where does freedom come from according to Kant?
... Limit religion Encourage own intelligence Have the courage to use one’s own
intelligence
ENCYCLOPEDIA
PHILOSOPHERS
Published work in books, plays, pamphlets, newspapers, and “encyclopedias”
At this time (1700s), the educated wrote in French
Writings criticized the church, government, slave trade, torture, taxes, and war
Wrote in a questioning style
DEFINITION BY AN ENEMY
Just what is a philosophe? A kind of monster in society who feels under no obligation towards its manners and morals, its properties, its politics, or its religion. One may expect anything from men of their ilk.
PHILOSOPHERS Thomas Hobbes - England
People enter into a social contract in which they exchange freedom and rights for security and order
A strong government was necessary to protect people from themselves
THOMAS HOBBES
Published the Leviathan In the beginning, people lived in anarchy Life is violent and dangerous People choose a leader to rule them
People give Monarch absolute power A social contract creates stability
People only have the right to protect themselves Hobbes preferred Absolute Rule
Famous Hobbes Quotes
“During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such a war, as if of every man, against every man.”
“It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law.”
“The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect them.”
“The Papacy is not other than the Ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof.”
PHILOSOPHERS John Locke - England
People are reasonable by nature and they have natural rights Life, liberty, and property
Government should protect those rights
Government power comes from the consent of the people
JOHN LOCKE Published Two Treatises of Government People have made a social contract But have kept:
The right to live The right to enjoy libertyThe right to own property
Rulers must preserve these rightsIf not, people have the right to overthrow such
ruler and replace him for breaking the social contract
Locke’s preferred Government is a consensual government between the people and their ruler Democracy or a Constitutional Government
Famous Locke Quotes
“All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.”
“Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.”
“Government has no other end, but the preservation of property.”
“Our incomes are like our shoes; if too small, they gall and pinch us; but if too large, they cause us to stumble and to trip.”
BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
Political liberty could best be preserved through the separation of powers among branches of government A system of Checks and Balances is needed
Published The Spirit of the Laws Promoted separation of powers Legislative – makes the laws Executive – administers the laws Judicial – interprets and applies the laws These powers should check each other Will later influence the U.S. Constitution
Montesquieu He preferred Non-
Absolute rule Constitutional
Government
THE SPIRIT OF THE LAWS
Famous Montesquieu Quotes “Countries are well cultivated, not as they
are fertile, but as they are free.” “If we only wanted to be happy, it would be
easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.”
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”
“There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principals of fear or reason, but from passion.”
VOLTAIRE French Philosopher Supported natural rights but felt that few people really
had the ability to rule freedom of religion and freedom of speech Tolerance of other’s religious views and viewpoints
Wit had him exiled from France Used his intellect to criticize the French
government and the Catholic Church for their failure to permit religious toleration and intellectual freedom.
Published novel Candide Also wrote Letters on the English and Elements
of the Philosophy of Newton Ridicules oppressive government, prejudice, and
bigotry Later fought in cases of injustice, particularly
against religious prejudice
Voltaire Believes in Absolute
Rule if the ruler is: Enlightened Supports human
rights
PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARY
Famous Voltaire Quotes
“All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
“Common sense is not so common.” “I do not agree with what you have to say, but
I'll defend to the death your right to say it.” “It is dangerous to be right in matters on
which the established authorities are wrong.” “Judge a man by his questions rather than his
answers.” “The art of government is to make two-thirds
of a nation pay all it possibly can pay for the benefit of the other third.”
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
Believed in Direct Democracy but people should give up some of their freedom for the
common good all people are born equal
Published The Social Contract “People are born good, but environment,
education, and laws corrupt them” “Free and good people will only remain if
governed by popular sovereignty” People can choose what government to live
under MAJOR influence on American and French
Revolutions
Rousseau Supports a
democratic government
Government derives its authority from the consent of the people
Governed through a contract
Government represents the people
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
Famous Rousseau Quotes
“Every man has a right to risk his own life for the preservation of it.”
“Free people, remember this maxim: we may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.”
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles.”
“People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.”
FEMALE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ENLIGHTENMENT
In Paris and other places in France, wealthy women held salons {informal gatherings} where writers, musicians, painters, and, philosophes presented their works and exchange ideas.
Salons originated in the 1600s when women started inviting a few friends to poetry readings.
People who were considered witty, intelligent, and well-read were invited to the Enlightenment.
The middle-class women such as Madame de Geoffrin start to have salons.
Voltaire and leading philosophes gathered at Madame de Geoffrin’s salon at least once a week.
Through their salons women helped shape the Enlightenment.
Emilie du Chatelet became a noted physicist and mathematician and translated Newton’s work from Latin into French.
POLITICAL CRITICISM
Political and Social Institutions should be changed to benefit everyone instead of just certain groups
Popular Sovereignty – laws and government created by and subject to the will of the people
Enlightened Despots – some Monarchs began to adopt Enlightenment philosophies and ruled with the respect of subject’s rightsMaria Teresa and her son Joseph II of AustriaCatherine II of RussiaFrederick II of Prussia
IMPACTS ON FUTURE The ideas proposed by the Enlightenment
thinkers had a great impact throughout Europe in the 1700s.
Greater numbers of people began to question established beliefs and customs.
This affected leaders and their development Philosophers promoted nationalism and
individual rights Revolutions were inspired by nationalistic
ideas growing out of the Enlightenment British Colonial America France Haiti