The Enlightenment in Europe Section 2 The Enlightenment in Europe

The Enlightenment in Europe Philosophers and scholars also began to question reason and order and began to question long held beliefs about the human condition Wanted to change the ideas of rights and liberties of ordinary citizens Challenged relationship between government and people Brought new insights in government, religion, economics and education Stressed using reason and thought to solve human problems

The Enlightenment in Europe Key ideas about Enlightenment from two English thinkers of the 1600’s, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke Thomas Hobbes- Expressed views in book called Leviathan (1651) English Civil War convinced him that humans were selfish and needed strong government to keep law and order Called idea by which people created a government the social contract In social contract society give up freedom for law and order

The Enlightenment in Europe John Locke- had a more positive view of human nature Believed people were basically reasonable People had natural rights- life, liberty, property People form governments to protect rights Best government had limited power, accepted by all citizens Government has obligation to people and if it violates natural rights people could overthrow government Influenced modern democracy

The Enlightenment in Europe Enlightenment reached height in France in mid-1700’s Paris was center of Enlightenment ideas Social critics were known as philosophes Characteristics Used methods of science to understand and improve society Believed reason could reform government, law and society Wanted social justice, equality Met in salons, informal gatherings, brought together writers, artists, thinkers to discuss and spread ideas

The Enlightenment in Europe Voltaire Most famous of philosophes, best known book Candide Wrote criticisms of Christianity, aristocracy, and government Promoted religious toleration, freedom of speech, freedom of expression “I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it” Montesquieu Believed in political liberty, critic of absolute monarchy 1748 Spirit of Laws discussed governments through history Best way to protect liberty was to divide powers of government through three branches (executive, judicial, legislative) called separation of powers Each branch a check on the other two (checks and balances)

The Enlightenment in Europe Rousseau Committed to personal liberty Argued that civilization corrupted our natural goodness Believed that government should be guided by the goodwill of society, people had to give up some freedom for the common good Wrote a book called the Social Contract Difference between Rousseau and Hobbes: Rousseau believed that government was an agreement of free individuals to create government

The Enlightenment in Europe Beccaria Italian philosophe Wrote about the justice system Laws existed to preserve social order and should be for the greatest good for the greatest number of people Argued accused should have a speedy trial and that the punishment should fit the crime Fought to abolish torture and capital punishment

The Enlightenment in Europe Women and the Enlightenment Philosphes thought women had natural rights, but limited (home, family) Women looked to improve their status Mary Wollstonecraft Wollstonecraft argued women should not be excluded from social contract 1792- A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Argued that women needed education to be virtuous and useful , urged women to enter male dominated fields like medicine and politics

The Enlightenment in Europe Legacy of the Enlightenment Enlightenment thinkers challenged long held ideas about society from religion to the role of government Theories inspired the American and French Revolutions Three other long term effects of the Enlightenment Belief in progress- idea that human thought, logic and reason could solve social problems More secular outlook- more non-religious viewpoint, questioned the ideas of the church and promoted religious tolerance Importance of the individual- people looked to themselves to solve problems, not government, or church