Chapter 17

1. Chapter 17 An Age of Enlightenment

2. What intellectual developments led to the Enlightenment? • Enlightenment • “Dare to Know!” • Reason, Natural Law, Hope, Progress • Use Scientific Method for all corners of life • Release yourself from shackles of old traditions and religions • Enlightenment leaders believed they could find the scientific laws that governed society (using reason)

3. What intellectual developments led to the Enlightenment? • Scientific Revolution books, like Principa, were hard to read • Ideas were spread by philosophes • Bernard de Fontenelle (1657-1757) • Communicated clearly ideas of Scientific Revolution • Plurality of Worlds- imagines a discussion between lovers under the stars • Science became a part of literature • Contributed to growing trend of • Skepticism-doubtful or questioning attitude, especially towards religion

4. What intellectual developments led to the Enlightenment? • The scientists of the 17th century wanted to exalt God, not undermine Christianity • But as scientific knowledge spread more educated men began to question religious truths • Travel Literature made people aware of other cultures • The “natural man” or “noble savage” in undeveloped countries proved to Enlightenment thinkers that there were flaws in the monarchies they lived under • Some began to evaluate their cultures in comparison to others

5. What intellectual developments led to the Enlightenment? • Cultural Relativism: culture is a matter of custom, not reason, derives its meaning from those that created it, and is therefore relative • Goes along with religious skepticism

6. What intellectual developments led to the Enlightenment? • Isaac Newton and John Locke were inspiration • By following Newton’s rules of reasoning, they could discover the natural laws that governed politics, economics, justice, religion, and the arts • Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) • Tabula rasa: blank slate • Knowledge comes from experience, observations • Knowledge is derived from environment and reason, not heredity and faith • If we expose people to the correct environment, social change will occur!

7. Who were the leaders of the Enlightenment? • Philosophes-intellectuals of Enlightenment • Statesmen, literati, professors, journalists, economists, political scientists, social reformers • Came from nobility and middle class • Use the scientific method, reason, and fact to better society • Fought for freedom of expression in a society of censorship

8. Wheaties “Champions of Enlightenment” • Choose a philosophe or person of note to study • (no repeats!) • Bring in a cereal box to school, minimum size 10x7in • Bring in any materials you need to decorate • (I’ll provide paper to cover it) • On the front you will affix a color picture of you subject with subtitle noting name and why they’re famous • On the back a typed summarization of the Enlightenment and how your champion was involved • On side 1 you will create a “have you seen this person” on one figure of history NOT in this chapter • On side 2 you will compile a list of “ingredients from the Enlightenment

9. Wheaties “Champions of Enlightenment” • Baron de Montesquieu • Voltaire • Denis Diderot • David Hume • Francois Quesnay • Adam Smith • Paul d’Holbach • Marie-Jean de Condorcet • Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Mary Astell • Mary Wollstonecraft • Francisco Suárez • Francis Bacon • Mir Damad • MullaSadra • Thomas Hobbes • Pierre Gassendi • René Descartes • Thomas Browne • John Milton • Blaise Pascal • John Locke • Baruch Spinoza • Nicolas Malebranche • Isaac Newton • Gottfried Leibniz • Pierre Bayle • Galileo Galilei

10. Who were the leaders of the Enlightenment? • Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) • Persian Letters- criticized French monarchy • The Spirit of the Laws – applied scientific method to governments • 3 kinds of governments –republics, monarchy, despotism • Separation of powers- checks and balances • Voltaire (1694-1778) • Philosophic Letters on the English- if England had one religion despotism would threaten, if there were two religions they would cut each other's throats, but it has 30 religions and they live together peacefully • Deism– God created the Earth, and then left it to run on its own

11. Who were the leaders of the Enlightenment? • Denis Diderot (1713-1784) • Encyclopedia- contributors were philosophes • Attached religious superstition and advocated toleration for social and political improvement • Became main weapon of Enlightenment • Adam Smith (1723-1790) • Wealth of Nations- attacks mercantilism and its tariffs • Laissez-Faire – “let the people do as they choose” • Individuals should be free to pursue own economic self-interests without government interference. Society will ultimately benefit

12. Who were the leaders of the Enlightenment? • Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) • Social Contract – harmonized individual liberty with government authority • Society agrees to be governed • No laws should be made without approval of public • Mary Astell(1666-1731) • A serious Proposal to the Ladies- women need to be better educated • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) • Vindication of the Rights of Women- founded feminism • Women have reason and thus should have same rights

13. What social environment did Enlightenment thinkers thrive?

14. What social environment did Enlightenment thinkers thrive?

15. What role did women play?

16. What role did women play?