The Enlightenment

Do Now Questions 1.What does it mean to be enlightened? 2.What is reason? These are tough! Do your best!!!

What is the Enlightenment? An intellectual movement where thinkers used reason and the scientific method, rather than religious teachings, to help them understand their world.

What is the Enlightenment? They believed that human reason could be used to achieve 3 great goals: knowledge, freedom & happiness.

Also known as the...

When did it take place? The Enlightenment started in the late seventeenth century and continued throughout the eighteenth century. late 17th century= late 1600s eighteenth century=1700s

Where did the Enlightenment take place? The Enlighten- ment started off in Britain and spread to France.

Where did the Enlightenment take place? Later, it spread around the globe, including the Americas.

What was Europe Like Before the Enlightenment? Most leaders were absolute monarchs-kings that held all the power and had little respect for the average person.

What was Europe Like Before the Enlightenment? Religious leaders told people that the purpose of life was to do good deeds in order to get to heaven. Many aspects of life had religious ties.

What was Europe Like Before the Enlightenment? The average person had no say in government or the creation of laws. Only wealthy men had access to good education. Children were viewed as small adults. Women were seen as inferior to men.

Why did the Enlightenment happen? Roots of the Enlightenment: -Renaissance: Reintroduction of classical (Greek & Roman) thought, focus on individual. -Reformation: Questioning of the Catholic Church & its authority/supremacy.

Why did the Enlightenment happen? -Scientific Revolution: If people can use reason to find laws that governed the physical world, why not use reason to discover natural laws? (Laws that govern human nature.)

Who was involved? Men, of all social classes, were part of the Enlightenment. In France, these thinkers were referred to as philosophes, which is the French word for philosopher.

Who was involved? Women were also part of the Enlightenment. Some were philosophers like Mary Wollstonecraft, but most often, women organized events where people could share ideas and debate.

These gatherings were called salons.

What impact did the Enlightenment have? 1.The ideas of the philosophers encouraged changes in gov't, society, and economic structures. 2.The ideas of various Enlightenment philosophers encouraged revolutions in Europe and around the world.

What are we going to learn about next? There were many key thinkers during the Enlightenment that explored and challenged existing ideas about the government, society, and the economy. We are going to focus in on a few of these individuals and their ideas.