The Eighteenth Century: An Age of Enlightenment Chapter 17 The Eighteenth Century: An Age of Enlightenment

The Enlightenment Paths to Enlightenment Popularization of Science – education Bernard de Fontenelle (1657 – 1757), Plurality of Worlds A New Skepticism Superstition, religious intolerance, and dogmatism Skepticism about religion and growing secularization Pierre Bayle (1647 – 1706) – Ind. conscience

The Impact of Travel Literature Travel books-very popular Captain James Cook, Travels Literature on China Showed positives of non-Christina cultures Cultural relativism Is European/Christian culture better? Natural man – more happy?

The Legacy of Locke & Newton Reason could discover natural laws that govern politics, economics justice, religion, and the arts Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding Knowledge derived from environment Denied Descartes’ belief in innate ideas

The Philosophes and their Ideas Came from all walks of life Paris: “capital” Not just explain: desire to change the world Result: 17thC. wars of religion Irony: during age of Absolutism 3 French Giants: Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Diderot

Montesquieu and Political Thought Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) Persian Letters, 1721: satire Attacks traditional religion, advocacy of religious toleration, denunciation of slavery, use of reason The Spirit of the Laws, 1748; comparative study of government

Voltaire and the Enlightenment Francois-Marie Arouet, Voltaire (1694-1778) Criticism of Traditional Religion Philosophic Letters on the English, 1733 Treatise on Toleration, 1763 Candide Deism

Diderot and the Encyclopedia Denis Diderot (1713-1784) Encyclopedia, 28 volumes Attacked religious superstition and advocated toleration Banned by Pope and King of France Lowered price helped to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment

The New “Science of Man” David Hume (1711 – 1776) Treatise on Human Nature Father of Social Studies Physiocrats François Quesnay (1694-1774) Leader of the Physiocrat – natural economic laws Rejection of mercantilism Supply and demand

Adam Smith & Laissez-Faire Economics The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Wealth = land and labor – NOT Gold Attack on mercantilism Against government involvement in business Advocate of free trade Supply and demand

Smith - continued Government has only three basic functions Protect society from invasion Defend individuals from injustice and oppression Keep up public works

Stop

The Later Enlightenment Baron Paul d’Holbach (1723 – 1789) System of Nature, 1770 Morality without religion Do what’s right – not out of fear of punishment Marie-Jean de Condorcet (1743 – 1794) The Progress of the Human Mind Human perfectibility

Rousseau and the Social Contract Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Discourse on the Origins of the Inequality of Mankind; private property = social injustice = enslaved the masses Social Contract, 1762; Harmonize individual liberty with governmental authority Concept of General Will – best for society is = what is important to individuals Emile, 1762; important for education Major influence on Romanticism

The “Woman’s Question” in the Enlightenment Most philosophes agreed that the nature of women make them inferior Mary Astell (1666-1731) A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, 1697 Better education/equality in marriage Mary Wollstonecraft Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792 Subjection of women by men wrong

Social Environment of the Philosophes Salons – upper/middle classes The Influence of Women Marie-Thérèse de Geoffrin (1699 – 1777) – hosted salons Marquise du Deffand (1697 – 1780) Determined who to invite

Other social centers: coffeehouses, cafes, clubs, libraries, societies Freemason

Innovations in Art Rococo Art Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) Fragility and transitory nature of pleasure, love, and life Baroque-Rococo architectural style Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753) Secular and spiritual interchangeable Continuing Popularity of Neoclassicism

Innovations in Music and Literature Baroque Music Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) Franz Joseph Haydn (1756-1809) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) The Novel Samuel Richardson (1689 – 1761) Henry Fielding (1707 – 1754) Writing of History A broader scope

The High Culture of the Eighteenth Century High Culture Versus Popular Culture Expansion of Publishing and Reading Public Development of magazines and newspapers for the general public Education and Universities Secondary schools

Crime and Punishment Punishment in the Eighteenth Century Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794), On Crimes and Punishments Punishment - serve only as deterrent Punishment moved away from spectacle towards rehabilitation

The World of Medicine - Skip Hierarchy of Practitioners Physicians Surgeons Apothecaries Midwives Faith healers

Popular Culture - Skip Nature of Popular Culture Carnival Collective and public Carnival Indulgence and release Taverns and Alcohol Community centers Cheap alcohol Literacy and Primary Education Chapbooks Literacy rates Primary education

Religion and the Churches The Institutional Church Conservative nature of mainstream churches Church-state relations “Nationalization” of the Catholic church Toleration and Religious Minorities Toleration and the Jews Some Enlightenment thinkers favored acceptance of the Jews Joseph II Limited reforms toward the Jews

Religious Populations of Eighteenth-Century Europe

Popular Religion in the Eighteenth Century Catholic Piety Centrality of the local parish Popular devotion Protestant Revivalism Pietism John Wesley (1703-1791) Methodist societies

Discussion Questions Why was France the epicenter of the Enlightenment? Why did it emerge when it did? What were the social consequences, if any, of the Enlightenment? How did the Enlightenment shape ideas about crime and punishment? Did Europe become a more secular society over the course of the eighteenth century? If so, why?

Web Links The European Enlightenment Internet Sourcebook: The Enlightenment The Encyclopedia of Diderot and d’Alembert Mary Wollstonecraft Creating French Culture Eighteenth-Century Resources: Science and Mathematics