The Enlightenment Mr Somogye AP World History Origins

The Enlightenment Mr. Somogye – AP World History

Origins of the Enlightenment What was the Enlightenment? An 18 th century philosophical movement that advocated reason as the primary source of authority and legitimacy What were the basic principals of the Enlightenment? Reason – Truth through logical reasoning Nature – Nature is good; natural laws of politics & economics Happiness – Live by nature’s laws and you will find happiness Progress – Believed society and humankind could be perfected Liberty – Believed society should be set free

Important Enlightenment Thinkers

Thomas Hobbes (1588 -1679) Lived during the English Civil War Famous work was Leviathan Main Ideas Man is inherently selfish and aggressive Mankind, if left on its own, would be ruled by chaos and conflict Citizens need the law and a strong monarch to prevent chaos The Social Contract

John Locke (1632 -1704) Lived during the English Civil War Father of Liberalism Supported individual’s natural right to life, liberty, and property Government at the consent of the governed Influenced the American Revolution and French Enlightenment thinkers

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712 -1788) French philosopher Main Ideas Humans are basically good by nature but corrupted by society Civilization destroyed freedom and equality Advocated direct democracy Influenced the American & French Revolutions “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”

Voltaire (1694 -1778) Perhaps the most brilliant Enlightenment philosopher “Friend” of Frederick II of Prussia Frequently targeted the clergy, aristocracy, and government Main Ideas Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, tolerance Attacked intolerance, prejudice, and superstition “Crush the evil thing”

Montesquieu (1689 -1755) A French aristocrat and a lawyer Believed Britain was the bestgoverned country Main Ideas “Power should be a check to power” Challenged absolute monarchy Separation of Powers Executive, legislative, judicial Checks and Balances Influenced the United States Constitution

Women and the Enlightenment thinkers maintained traditional ideas toward women Educated women challenged these ideas using Enlightenment arguments Mary Wollstonecraft Women need education to be virtuous & useful Women have the right to participate in politics Women helped spread Enlightenment ideas by holding salons

Impact of the Enlightenment

Impact of the Enlightenment Revolutions Belief in social and human progress Abolition of slavery, promote education, social equality, etc. Secular outlook in Europe American, French, Haitian, etc. Promotion of religious tolerance, openly question religious beliefs, science challenges religious teachings Importance of the individual People can judge right and wrong for themselves, rise of capitalism, support for democracy, etc.

Scientific Revolution A Snapshot

Scientific Revolution Sci Rev = an intellectual and cultural transformation that occurred b/w the mid 17 th and early 18 th centuries Careful observations, controlled experiments, formulation of general laws for explaining the world those in the movement saw themselves as radicals Vastly significant Altered ideas about placement of humankind in universe Challenged teachings and authority of the Church Challenged established social hierarchies & poli systems Used to legitimize racial and gender inequality By 20 th century … science = modernity

Why Europe? 1. the Islamic world was the most scientifically advanced realm in period 800– 1400 2. China’s technological accomplishments and economic growth were unmatched for several centuries after the millennium 3. but European conditions were uniquely favorable to rise of science a. evolution of a legal system that guaranteed some independence for a variety of institutions by twelfth/thirteenth centuries b. idea of the “corporation”—collective group treated as a legal unit with certain rights c. universities became zones of intellectual autonomy

Why Europe? Cont…. 4. in the Islamic world, science remained mostly outside of system of higher edu 5. Chinese authorities did not permit independent institutions of higher learning a. Chinese education focused on preparing for civil service exams b. emphasis was on classical Confucian texts 6. Western Europe could draw on the knowledge of other cultures, especially that of the Arab world 7. sixteenth–eighteenth centuries: Europeans were at the center of a massive new information exchange a. tidal wave of knowledge shook up old ways of thinking b. explosion of uncertainty and skepticism allowed modern science to emerge