Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

                                                                          Copernicus 11/23/2018

Kepler 11/23/2018

Galileo 11/23/2018

Newton 11/23/2018

Vesalius 11/23/2018

Harvey 11/23/2018

Boyle 11/23/2018

Lavoisier 11/23/2018

Cavendish 11/23/2018

John Locke 11/23/2018

Montesquieu 11/23/2018

Rousseau 11/23/2018

Voltaire 11/23/2018

Diderot 11/23/2018

Adam Smith 11/23/2018

Descarte 11/23/2018

Francis Bacon 11/23/2018

Path to the Enlightenment Philosophical movement built off the Scientific Revolution Enl. Philosophers believed they could create a better society by applying reason to social problems. Talked about reason, natural law, hope, and social problems. This was the first time many focused on the idea of happiness, and the idea of family became very important, esp. amongst middle classes 11/23/2018

Traditions and Superstitions The “Great Debate” Reason & Logic Traditions and Superstitions rationalism empiricism tolerance skepticism Deism nostalgia for the past organized religions irrationalism emotionalism

Salons Places to discuss literary and philosophical ideas Mostly nobility; women not only attended, but organized the meetings Here is where much of the Enlightenment, the secular questioning of traditions in politics, social hierarchy, religion and learning occurred. 11/23/2018

Philosophes French Enlightenment thinkers Greatly influenced the Enlightenment throughout Europe and America Most famous: Voltaire 11/23/2018

Adam Smith 1723-1790 Wrote The Wealth of Nations Scottish Economist Early attempt to look at development of trade and industry Helps establish academic field of economics Provides intellectual rationale for capitalism 11/23/2018

Adam Smith Believed Gov. was created to protect citizens from invasion and injustice. (public works) New social sciences Founder of modern economics Believed people were free to pursue own economic interest. “laissez-faire” Gov. should not interfere with natural economic process. 11/23/2018

Voltaire 1694-1778 Educated by Jesuits (did not agree with much of their doctrine)-hated organized religion (irrational) Arrested, put in Bastile, twice for criticisms first to royal family, then to an aristocrat- released, had to leave country Goes to Britain Returns to Paris in 1728; begins writing his Philosophical Letters 11/23/2018

Voltaire (1712-1778) Wrote plays, novels, letters, essays, and histories. Believed in religious tolerations Supporter of deism Deism religious philosophy based on reason and natural law

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Common Sense, 1776 The Rights of Man, 1791

Denis Diderot (1713-1784)

Diderot’s Encyclopédie

The Encyclopédie Complete cycle of knowledge…………...… change the general way of thinking. 28 volumes. Alphabetical, cross-referenced, illustrated. First published in 1751. 1500 livres a set.

Pages from Diderot’s Encyclopedie

An Increase in Reading

Pages from Diderot’s Encyclopedie

The Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) Three types of government: Monarchy. Republic. Despotism. A separation of political powers ensured freedom and liberty. (checks and balances)

Montesquieu; Checks and Balances Good government has both separation of powers and checks and balances Ensures not one branch can become too powerful (insurance policy) Law needs to be just and impartial (i.e. no exceptions for nobles) Punishment needs to reflect the severity (or lack of) the crime, but always be humane 11/23/2018

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) The Social Contract Members of society agree to be governed by the general will Represents what is best for society as a whole

Rousseau, cont. Criticized education of the day Argued for education of children Teach what is interesting, and through a love of learning rather than through discipline 11/23/2018

Rousseau’s Philosophy (II) Question Does progress in the arts and sciences correspond with progress in morality? As civilizations progress, they move away from morality. Civilization itself leads away from true fundamentals. Technology and art create false desires. NO!

John Locke: Tabula Rasa Environment plays major role in human development Focused on the role of reason; believed reason was a gift from God Morality a sense of experience, what is good and evil, rather than a religious code – it is relative, not absolute 11/23/2018

John Locke (1632-1704) Influenced Enlightenment thinkers with his “tabula rasa” idea. People under the right influence could create a new kind of society

John Locke’s Philosophy There are certain natural rights that are endowed by God to all human beings. life, liberty, property! The doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings was nonsense. He favored a republic as the best form of government.

Cesare Beccaria 1738-1794 Italian, wrote, Crimes and Punishments Focused on legal reform Punishment should serve to deter more than as a payment for a crime He wanted to abolish capital punishment, torture, and increase rehabilitation of criminals 11/23/2018

The American “Philosophes” John Adams (1745-1826) Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Ben Franklin (1706-1790) …...…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…………...

Impact of the Enlightenment Focus on secular, human improvement Happiness is desirable and people have the right to be happy (“right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) Questioned social hierarchy, morals, role of education, impact of environment and sought to improve society as a whole People became optimistic Progress is possible 11/23/2018

Impact, cont. Impact on politics more in eastern Europe, than in the west, where they began Common reforms: law, education and religious toleration East moved to make easier, and uniform law codes for all classes Followed ideas of Beccaria Jesuits had been biggest education influence; now the state had to replace this void 11/23/2018

Centers of the Enlightenment

The Legacy of the Enlightenment? The democratic revolutions begun in America in 1776 and continued in Amsterdam, Brussels, and especially in Paris in the late 1780s, put every Western government on the defensive. Reform, democracy, and republicanism had been placed irrevocably on the Western agenda.

The Legacy of the Enlightenment? New forms of civil society arose –-- clubs, salons, fraternals, private academies, lending libraries, and professional/scientific organizations. 19c conservatives blamed it for the modern “egalitarian disease” (once reformers began to criticize established institutions, they didn’t know where and when to stop!)

The Legacy of the Enlightenment? It established a materialistic tradition based on an ethical system derived solely from a naturalistic account of the human condition (the “Religion of Nature”). Theoretically endowed with full civil and legal rights, the individual had come into existence as a political and social force to be reckoned with.