Enlightenment & Religion Deism Toleration Radical Enlightenment Jewish Thinkers

Philosophes  Critics of Religion Challenged European Institutions –Politics: church too involved –Taxes: didn’t pay but owned a lot of land –Censorship by church Church hindered thinking –Rational thought –Science Study of humanity & nature Obscure doctrines –Promoted intolerance –Inciting torture, war, human suffering

Deism Definition: –Life of religion and reason can be combined Empirical, tolerant, reasonable, encourage virtuous living –God must be rational Religion should be rational –Life after death –Many religions might have divine truth (tolerance) Why did it develop? –Desire for religion without fanaticism & intolerance

Evidence of Deism John Toland: Christianity Not Mysterious Deists differed from Newton and Locke –Newton & Locke saw themselves as Christian

Toleration Voltaire: Treatise on Tolerance –Reform judicial process Evidence: Huguenot tortured and executed for religious reasons Secular values more important than religious ones

Radical Enlightenment Minority position –Attack churches –Movement toward Atheism Common position –Don’t abolish religion, transform it Humane Encourage virtuous living

Women in the World of Science

Why were women excluded? Institutions excluded women –Associated with celibate males –Continued until the end of the 19 th century –Why? Medicine, philosophy and biology emphasized that women were inferior to men Women associated with Scientific Revolution –Queen Christina of Sweden –Margaret Cavendish –Maria Winkelmann

Queen Christina of Sweden Firm supporter of Religious Tolerance –Secretly a Catholic Discussions with Descartes –Invited him to Sweden, Descartes died of pneumonia 10 days later –Abdicated…why? To openly practice Catholicism OR To publicly be part of scientific revolution Queen Christina monument at St. Peter’s

Who is this?

Margaret Cavendish 6 books contributing to the Scientific Revolution –ONLY woman allowed into the Royal Society of London –Wrote for a female audience Social circle and private tutoring (Noble Woman) –Received more criticism

Learning versus Wit –Wit Men and women CAN be equal –Learning Society limits women Natural Philosophy –Supporter of Hobbes –Humans struggled between determinism and freedom

Maria Winkelmann German Astronomer –Recognized by her peers Artisan –Husband and wife team Berlin Academy: developed a calendar –Died: Maria was asked to leave –Assistant to astronomer son Asked to leave