The Enlightenment Politics & Philosophy

Bell Ringer In your notebooks, answer: What was the Enlightenment? How did the SR impact the Enlightenment?

Political Enlightenment

Three Themes in the Political Realm 1.Property oCentral feature oGives an individual a stake in society 2.Rights oEvery individual is entitled to basic rights simply because they exist 3.Law oThat which makes 1 & 2 work oGuarantees property & rights

Political Philosophes

John Locke Most influential writing was “Two Treatises of Civil Government” written in 1690

Locke’s Philosophy The individual must become a “rational creature” Virtue can be learned & practiced Human beings possess free will oThey should be prepared for freedom oObedience should be out of conviction, not fear

Locke’s Philosophy (cont.) Legislators owe their power to a contract with the people Neither kings nor wealth are divinely ordained There are certain natural rights that are endowed by God to all human beings oLife, liberty, & property Favored a republic

Baron de Montesquieu ( ) Most influential writing was “Spirit of the Laws” written in 1748 “Countries are well- cultivated, not as they are fertile, but as they are free.”

Montesquieu’s Philosophy Used England’s government as a model for: The separation of powers Executive Power = King Legislative Power = Parliament Judicial Power = Courts Checks & balances Monarchs should be subject to constitutional limits on their power

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Most influential writing was “The Social Contract” written in 1762

Rousseau’s Philosophy Tabula Rasa (blank slate) Best traits of human character are products of nature Society corrupts people, therefore, we must fix society

Rousseau (cont.) In The Social Contract: oThe right kind of political order could make people truly moral & free oIndividual moral freedom could be achieved only by learning to subject one’s individual interests to the “General Will”

Rousseau - Social Contract (cont.) oIndividuals could do this by entering into a social contract - not with their rulers, but with each other oThis social contract was derived from human nature -NOT from history, tradition, or the Bible oPeople = most free & moral under a republican form of government with a direct democracy

Philosophical Enlightenment

Marquis de Condorcet Most influential writing: Progress of the Human Mind (1794)

Condorcet’s Philosophy Expectation of universal happiness Every individual guided by reason could enjoy true independence Advocated: oFree & equal education oConstitutionalism oEqual rights for women

Immanuel Kant Most influential work: Critique of Pure Reason (1781)

Kant’s Philosophy Investigated the structure & limitations of reason Believed he created a compromise between the empiricists and the rationalists (reason + experience = Enlightenment)

Denis Diderot Most influential writing: The Encyclopedia (1751) (coauthor: Jean le Rond d’Alembert)

Diderot’s Encyclopédie Complete cycle of knowledge that changed the general way of thinking 28 volumes Alphabetical, cross- referenced, illustrated

Voltaire François Marie Arouet Most famous book: Candide (1759) Known for sharp wit that was often critical of the church and state

Voltaire (cont.) Wrote plays, novels, poetry, essays, & letters Fierce defender of civil liberties, especially: oReligious freedom oFree trade oFreedom of speech Spent time imprisoned in the Bastille

Voltaire (cont.) Life (video) Last words

Words of Wisdom from Voltaire Each group will get a quote from Voltaire Your job is to: oDiscuss the quote & figure out what Voltaire meant oOffer to the class your group’s interpretation of Voltaire’s wisdom & how it relates to the Enlightenment

Homework Worksheet: Rousseau’s The Social Contract Due next class period