The Enlightenment

Montesquiue

(18 January 1689 - 10 February 1755), generally referred to as simply ________, was a French lawyer, man of letters, and political philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He did more than any other author to secure the place of the word despotism in the political lexicon.

Voltaire

(21 November 1694 - 30 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. _____ was a versatile writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken advocate, despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day.

John Locke

(29 August 1632 - 28 October 1704), was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism". Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Sir Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work greatly affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy.

Rene Descartes

(31 March 1596 - 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who spent most of his life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the father of modern philosophy, and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. In particular, his Meditations on First Philosophy continues to be a standard text at most university philosophy departments.

What was the impact of the enlightenment?

- belief in progress: science, politics, education -a more secular outlook: division between church and state - promote tolerance of religions -importance of individuals: using reason individuals can think about what is right and wrong

What are enlightened despots?

-Absolute rulers who used their power to bring about political and social change -monarchs who embraced Enlightenment ideas to strengthen their rule -supported the philosophes' ideas but had no intention of giving up any power- changes they made were influenced by desire to make country stronger + their own rule more effective

deism

-belief in the existence of a supreme being but a denial of revealed/organized religion -basing one's beliefs on the light and nature of reason -recognized distant god not involved in man's life -God is the "clockmaker" The religion of the Enlightenment (1700s). Followers believed that God existed and had created the world, but that afterwards He left it to run by its own natural laws. Denied that God communicated to man or in any way influenced his life.

partitions of Poland

-king in Poland relatively weak + 3 neighboring powers to Poland -Russia, Prussia, Austria- all tried to influence Poland -1772: First ___: each neighbor took a piece of Poland -1793 + 1795: further ___: neighbors got rest of Poland's territory -Poland disappeared from map of Europe + didn't reappear as independent counrty until after World War I

enlightened despot Frederick the Great

-king of Prussia 1740-1786 -committed himself to reforming Prussia: granted many religious freedoms, reduced censorship, improved education, reformed justice system, abolished torture -believed that serfdom was wrong, but didn't do anything to end it 'cause he needed support from wealthy landowners --> never tried to change social order -granted religious freedom -improved education -reformed justice system -considered himself to be "the first servant of the state"

Denis Dederot

-leading philosophe that had the idea to create a large set of books to which all the leading scholars of Europe would contribute articles and essays -called it an "Encyclopedia" (1751-1772): brought together all the most current + enlightened thinking about science, technology, art, gov't, + more -Enlightenment ideas in articles angered French gov't + Catholic Church --> work banned --> many were afraid of being arrested + withdrew --> he pressed on + got permission to publish "Encyclopedia"

enlightened despot Joseph II

-ruled Austria from 1780-1790 -most radical royal reformer -introduced legal reforms, freedom of the press, + ended censorship -supported freedom of worship; declared Patent of Toleration -most radical reform: abolished serfdom + ordered that peasants be paid for their labor w/ cash -abolished serfdom, paid peasants for work -freedom of the press -freedom of worship

Goals of the Enlightenment

1. to encourage people to think and reason for themselves. 2. to collect and spread knowledge, which was why some philosophes wrote dictionaries and encyclopedias. to spread progress and reason.

What did the Scientific Revolution lead to?

Another revolution in thinking, known as the Enlightenment.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Believed that education whould give women power to participate equally in political and social life

Who was Rousseau?

Believed that people in their natural state were basically good. This natural innocence, he felt, was corrupted by the evils of society, especially the unequal distribution of property. Many

What happened to Voltaire?

He was sent to the Bastille prison twice due to his criticism of French authorities and was eventually banned from Paris.

natural rights

Idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

Liassez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

What was the significance of Diderot's "the Encyclopedia" to the spread of Enlightenment ideas?

It helped spread Enlightenment ideas to educated people all over Europe - brought together all the current Enlightened thinking about science, art, government and more, and it was widely read. - was banned, censored by the Catholic Church because the Church believed the Encyclopedia fostered " moral corruption, irreligion and unbelief" -Diderot's Encyclopedie illustrated the major themes of the Enlightenment. Exemplifying humanism, it was a collection of everything man knew, and it was supposed to destroy superstition and provide access to human knowledge. - Denis Diderot -a collection of articles and essays - banned by catholic church -helped educate people all over Europe; printing press helped spread -Education was once considered a privilege for only the upper class. However, during the 17th and 18th century centuries, "education, literacy and learning" were gradually provided to "rich and poor alike".[8] The literacy rate in Europe from the 17th century to the 18th century grew significantly.

principles of Enlightenment

Reason, nature, happiness, progress, and liberty.

Adam Smith

Scottish moral philosopher, key Scottish Enlightenment figure, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations is first modern work of economics. Cited as the "father of modern economics" and is still among the most influential thinkers in the field of economics today. -British thinker who extended the emphasis of the individual to economic thinking -believed that individuals acting in their own self-interest created economic progress -wrote the "Wealth of Nations"; father of Capitalism

What revolution started the enlightenment?

The Scientific Revolution

How did the Scientific Revolution influence the Enlightenment?

The Scientific Revolution influenced the development of the Enlightenment values of individualism because it demonstrated the power of the human mind. The ability of scientists to come to their own conclusions rather than deferring to instilled authority confirmed the capabilities and worth of the individual. - People became less religious - People thought about improving life on Earth. - People realized that established doctrines could be questioned. - Thinking and reasoning.

how did the enlightenment influence both the American and French Revolutions?

The ideas of the Enlightenment inspired both the American and French Revolution. The Revolution was based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Philosophers of the Enlightenment, known as philosophes, favored limited monarchy, freedom of speech, and equality. -The development of educational systems in Europe continued throughout the period of the Enlightenment and into the French Revolution.

The Enlightenment

a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. It was heavily influenced by 17th-century philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, and Newton, and its prominent exponents include Kant, Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Adam Smith. The intellectual revolution of the eighteenth century in which the philosophes stressed reason, natural law, and progress in their criticism of prevailing social injustices.

Why didn't the Protestant Reformation influence the enlightenment?

because the protestant reformation focused more on religious aspects. -major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church. -These were a call to the Catholic Church to reform itself. The results were that the Roman Catholic Church began to splinter apart with the formation of Protestant Churches, each its own variation of the Roman Catholic Church. The era for this division is called the Protestant Reformation - 1517-1603. -A movement that sought to reform or change certain practices of the Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther around 1517. Considered to be an important part of the cultural renewal of the Renaissance -the enlightenment focused on social and political aspects

checks and balances

three separate branches- legislative, executive, and judicial- provided built-in system with each brach checking the actions of the other two ex: president could veto legislation passed by congress, but congress could override a presidential veto w/ 2/3 of its members

who were the Philosophes?

were the intellectuals of the 18th century Enlightenment. Few were primarily philosophers; rather, philosophies were public intellectuals who applied reason to the study of many areas of learning, including philosophy, history, science, politics, economics, and social issues. Thinkers of the Enlightenment; Wanted to educate the socially elite, but not the masses; were not allowed to openly criticize church or state, so used satire and double-meaning in their writings to avoid being banned; Salons (coffee houses) held by wealthy women also kept philosophes safe; They considered themselves part of an intellectual community, and wrote back and forth to each other to share ideas.

enlightened despot Catherine the Great

• Catherine the Great—enlightened ruler of Russia, 1762-1796 • Seeks to abolish capital punishment and torture, but her effort fails • Responds to peasant revolt by giving nobles more power over serfs * successfully expands Russia -ruled Russia from 1762-1796; ruler most admired by philosophes -ruled w/ absolute authority but took steps to modernize + reform Russia -well-educated + exchanged letters w/ Voltaire -1767: formed Legislative Commission to reform Russia's laws, presented it w/ proposal for reforms based on ideas of Montesquieu + Beccaria -eventually put in place limited reforms, but did little to improve life of Russian peasants -gave nobles absolute power over serfs after an uprising of serfs -Russo-Turkish war won control of northern shore of Black Sea; expanded empire westward into Poland w/ Partitions of Poland