Ch 17 Study Hints
Voltaire's attitude toward government
Voltaire said that the best one could hope for in way of government was a good monarch, since human beings "are very rarely worthy to govern themselves."
Maria Theresa vs nobles
Wanted to be an enlightened monarch Cut noble power over serfs
Public sphere (in enlightenment)
An idealized intellectual space, where the public came together to discuss important issues relating to society, economics, and politics.
Frederick II of Prussia (enlightened)
Fredrick got rid of serfdom and fixed the political/social hierarchy and power in Prussia to alleviate the stress on the government at the time left by his ruthless father.
Partition of Poland
Poland was partitioned by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. It was the idea of Fredrick the Second in order to prevent war between the 3 countries. Poland was weak and easily conquerable.
Rococo
Popular style in Europe in the 18th century, known for its soft pastel, ornate interiors, sentimental portraits, and starry eyed lovers protected by hovering cupids.
Newtons laws of gravity
Principle of Universal Gravitation: states that a particle attracts every other particle in the universe using a force that is directly proportional to their size and distance.
Natural Philosophy
Questions about nature, purpose, and the function of knowledge.
Salons
Regular social gatherings held by talented and rich Parisian women in their homes, where philosophes and their followers met to discuss literature, science, and philosophy
Joseph II
Son of Maria Theresa. Was a strong supporter of change. Abolished serfdom in 1781. In 1789 said that serfs could pay landlords in cash rather than labor in their lands , witch was violently rejected by both novels and serfs.
Reading Revolution
Started reading silently in their heads instead of being read to by someone.
Copernicus' theory
Sun was the center of the universe, stars don't move, earth moves.
Haskalah Enlightenment
The Jewish Enlightenment of the second half of the 18th century, led by the Russian philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. A period of controversial social change within communities, in which rabbinic controls loosened and heightened interactions with Christians took place.
Government's response to new science
They were against science and often shut it down, unless they could use science to prove the existence of god or help them in some way.
Women in new science
They were involved in informal science communities, attended salons, and participated in scientific studies. They wrote, learned, and treatises.
Origins of Scientific Revolution
13th Century Medieval universities provided the framework. There was a gradual change from religious thinking to secular thinking, eventually the Renaissance stimulated the rediscovery of mathematics and world views. Navigational problems arose during the age of expansion. PEOPLE NEED SCIENCE
Pierre Bayle "Historical and critical dictionary"
All knowledge needed to be doubted and questioned
Rousseau on women
Called for a rigid division of gender roles. Because women were passive in sexual relations, they should also be passive in social life. Women displaying themselves publicly, attending salons, and having power was unnatural and had corrupting effects on politics and society
Galileo and the scientific method
Came up with the idea of the scientific method and proved that it worked.
Enlightenment core concept
Create a new world view of all aspects of life, science, politics, and society.
Rene Descartes
Deductive Reasoning Cartesian Dualism: divided all existence into the spiritual and material.
Encyclopedia goal
Diderot said he wanted the Encyclopedia to "change the general way of thinking"
Why were protestant countries better for science? (in the beginning)
Didn't have a strong leadership and they couldn't challenge science as much
Scientific Revolution and Economy
Few consequences on the peoples lives and finances until the late 18th century. Increased economy by advancing navigation.
Bacon
Formulized empirical method (empiricism). Inductive method for scientific experimentation.
Idea of race in Europe
Immanual Kant said that there were 4 human races wich derived from the original race of "white brunettes". He said the closest descendants of the original race were the white inhabitants of northern Germany. Scientific racism helped justify slavery.
Montesquieu "Persian letters"
Influential social satire published in 1721. It consisted of letters supposedly written by by two Persian travelers. This gave Montesquieu a vantage point for criticizing existing beliefs and practices. He used oppression of women in the Persian harem to symbolize eastern political tyranny. Used the rebellion of Usbek's harem against the cruel eunuchs he left in charge to demonstrate that despotism(absolute power) must ultimately fail. Used Persians' observations of habitual infidelity among French wives and the strength of female power behind the throne to make fun of European social and political customs.
Fontanelle's "conversation of plurality of worlds"
Is a popular science book by French author Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, published in 1686. It offered an explanation of the heliocentric model of the Universe, suggested by Nicolaus Copernicus in his 1543 work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. The book is Fontenelle's most famous work and is considered to be one of the first major works of the Age of Enlightenment.
Philosophes vs censors
Knowing that published attacks on society and the church would be banned or burned the philosophes circulated their works in manuscript form. To get around the censors they wrote all their works (novels, plays, histories, philosophies, dictionaries, and encyclopedias) in satire and double meanings.
Madame du Châtelet
Madame du Chatalet: Invited Voltaire to live in her country house and became his BFF (long-time companion). She studied physics, math, and would publish science articles and texts (translations). She was fascinated by the world of newton and helped spread his ideas (translated his "principia"). She was feminist.
Kepler's elliptical orbits
Mathematically proved Copernicus' planetary motion theory. Developed 3 planetary laws: The planets went around the sun in an oval like route (why we have seasons), planets don't move at constant speeds, the time it takes to complete one orbit is equal to its distance from the sun.
Rousseau's "general will"
Needs of the people can be met by a intelligent minority
Catherine the Great
Rose to power after her lover (Gregory Orlov) and his three bothers (all army officers) murdered her husband, Peter III, and she became Empress. She had three main goals: Continue westernizing Russia (like Peter the Great did) Domestic reform (witch was never competed but she was able to restrict practice of torture and allowed some religious toleration) Territorial expansion (she was VERY successful)
Enlightenment in France
The acceptance of enlightenment ideas was the work of the philosophes. It was in France that the Enlightenment reached its highest development and there were three reasons for this. First: In the eighteenth century, French was the international language of the educated classes and France was still the wealthiest and most populous country in Europe. Second: French intellectuals were not free to openly criticize either church or state but they were not as strongly restrained as intellectuals in eastern and east-central Europe. Third: The Philosophes made it there goal to reach a larger audience of elites.
Reactions to Copernicus
Tried to share his world views and philosophies, but the people were turned off by them and the church eventually stepped in and shut it down.
Enlightenment thinkers (why different?)
Upper class, educated, access to salons, etc.
John Locke "Essay concerning Human Understanding
Viewed as first major text of the enlightenment. He set forth a new theory about how humans learn and form their ideas. Locke insisted all ideas are derived from experience. At birth the human mind is a blank tablet (tabula rasa) which the environment writes the individual's beliefs and understandings.