The Enlightenment and The Scientific Revolution

What is a social contract?

A social contract is a silent agreement between the people and the government. The people agree to give the government power in return for protection.

What is the social contract according to Hobbes and Rousseau?

According to Hobbes, the social contract is a system where an autocratic monarch control his citizens. According to Rousseau, the social contract is a system where everyone has a say in government and everyone makes all decisions.

Montesquieu

All people are not equal and slavery is OK. Man is aware of the laws of nature. Politics can be affected by numerous factors. The English government is the best form of government.

Francis Bacon

Believed in empiricism and the Scientific Method.

Why was Copernicus afraid to publish his Heliocentric Theory?

Copernicus was afraid to publish his Heliocentric Theory because he did not want to be excommunicated from the Catholic church. If he had published his theory, the Church would have punished him for contradicting their long spoken message.

Isaac Newton

Created many ideas and principles, such as gravity, based on logic instead of tradition.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Created the Heliocentric Theory in 1492 and was a Polish Catholic.

Salon

Gatherings of thinkers hosted by rich women in Paris. People learn new things, spread ideas, and leave with new and improved ideas.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Government should be the general will of the people. Institutions are too powerful and they should not control religion. Man himself is good but society makes him evil. Only men should be able to vote.

Hobbes' Social Contract

Hobbes believed that people were evil and that they had to be kept in line by an absolute monarch.

Scientific Method

In time, scholars began to use observation, experimentation, and scientific reasoning to gather knowledge and draw conclusions about the physical world.

Natural Rights

Inalienable rights not given by any institution or person.

Heliocentric Theory

It was created by Copernicus in 1492 and it had the sun at the center of the solar system. He was scared of publishing this, and did it on his deathbed.

What is the nature of man and how does it affect society and politics?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that man was naturally good, but that society was evil. He also said that the artificial social customs and traditions forced people into being evil and caused politicians to not govern in the interests of the people.

What is the ideal form of government?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the ideal form of government was one that best represented the general will of the people. His perfect government would be where everyone agrees on every single decision, a type of government that would be impossible on a large scale.

Enlightened Despots

Leaders who believed in the Enlightenment ideas and made positive changes benefiting their subjects instead of just themselves. These changes included abolishing torture and allowing religious freedom.

Denis Diderot

Made the first Encyclopedia in 1751 called Encyclopedie. It gave people access to information.

What factors led to the Scientific Revolution?

Many factors, including scientific research, inventions and technology, the printing press, and salons led to Scientific Revolution.

What is natural law?

Natural laws are universal laws that are unbreakable because they aren't made; they just exist.

Voltaire

People are born good, but they grow up in a society that makes them greedy and self-centered. People should have the freedom and speech and the freedom of assembly. The people should be governed by an enlightened monarch since they can not govern themselves.

Thomas Hobbes

People are naturally evil. No power should given through divine right, it should be through the people. Power should not be divided and an absolute monarch should rule.

Empiricism

People can get evidence to learn new things through observation.

John Locke

People should all be equal and not fight. Humans are a "blank slate" at birth. Everyone could have life, liberty, and property.

5 Core Beliefs

RLPHN: Reason, Liberty, Progress, Happiness, and Nature

Rousseau's Social Contract

Rousseau believed in a social contract where the only legitimate authority came from a contract agreed upon by all citizens.

René Descartes

Said "cogito ergo sum", meaning that one must exist in order to think that they exist.

What are the key discoveries of the Scientific Revolution?

Some of the key discoveries include the heliocentric theory, gravity, elliptical orbits, calculus, and telescopes.

Who was opposed to the Enlightenment and why?

The Catholic Church was the main group who was opposed to the Enlightenment because they feared that the new ideas would contradict what they had been saying for years. If someone suddenly realizes that what the Catholic Church has been saying is wrong, they might not trust the Church at all.

How did the Enlightenment affect the Church and religion?

The Enlightenment caused some people to question what the Church was saying. People could no longer trust a church that changed its story after telling it for 1000 years.

What factors led to the spread of Enlightenment ideas?

The Enlightenment started in English, but it spread to France by the early 1700s. This was due to the printing press, scientific research, salons, literature, inventions, and technology.

Deism

The belief that there has to be some supernatural power. There is no church involved due to the corruption and rules associated. Deists generally have less conflict with science.

How did the concept of the social contract emerge and evolve?

The concept of a social contract evolved from the many monarchies in the 1700s. People wondered why the King was allowed to be in power. The explanation was that the people and the King agreed to a contract to the let the King have power in exchange for protection.

Why were the discoveries of astronomers so revolutionary?

The discoveries of astronomers were so revolutionary because they showed how the Earth existed in relation to everything else in the universe and showed how logic and reason could be applied to make important discoveries.

How does the nature of man determine what the best form of government is?

The nature of man determines the best form of government by applying man's natural state to keep them in line while still doing everything in the best interest of the people.

Geocentric Theory

The theory that the Earth is at the center of the solar system and the universe. God created the universe.

Natural Law

They are universal and unbreakable. They aren't made; they just exist.

Galileo Galilei

Used a telescope to discover many things. These include sunspots, Jupiter's moons, and craters on Earth's moon. The Catholic Church threatened to excommunicate Galileo for his ideas and did it through the Inquisition (Church Court).

Johannes Kepler

Used mathematical laws and proofs to prove that the heliocentric model was correct. Was also the first person to theorize elliptical orbits for planets instead of perfect circles.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Women should be equal to men. The Catholic Religion is wrong because it adds hierarchy to religion. Kings should not be in power.