The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment: Definition A response to Absolutism A period when people were concerned with: The dangers of arbitrary and unchecked authority Religious toleration Importance of law, reason and human dignity

Causes Growth of cities Spread of literacy Note to Friesen: read page 449 in text Growth of cities Spread of literacy New forms of social interaction (such as salons and cafes) People began to question religion, the power of the state, and the rights of the individual for the first time. Population growth before Enlightenment c.1600: Where was population density greatest? Why?

Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679 English Philosopher One of the founders of modern political philosophy Created Social Contract Theory Questions legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual Argues that people surrender (either by choice or by default) some freedoms to government in exchange for protection of their remaining rights

Rene Descartes, 1596-1650 French philosopher, mathematician and scientist Called the Father of Modern Western Philosophy Believed it was important to doubt previously held beliefs, and grounding all new ideas in reason Descartes tossed out all beliefs that he had, and used the famous declaration “Cogito, ergo sum”, (I think, therefore I am) as a starting point to build arguments from.

Voltaire (francois-Marie Arouet), 1694 - 1778 Writer, historian and philosopher Famous for Attacking the Catholic Church Advocating freedom of religion Calling for freedom of speech Arguing for separation of church and state “Candide” - a satire against optimism - is his most famous work

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778 Argued that humans are inherently good, and were better off in a more ‘natural’ state His ideal point of human development was somewhere between brute animals and the decadence of civilization. “The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said 'This is mine', and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody” 1754

Adam Smith, 1723-1790 A pioneer of Economic theory Wrote “The Wealth of Nations”, the first modern work on economics Laid foundations for “free market” economic theory and capitalism Believed that self-interest benefits everyone: If left on their own, producers would increase production, thereby improving the economy through self-interest

Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826 One of American Founding Fathers, helped to instigate the American Revolution Principal author of the American Declaration of Independence Proponent of democracy, republicanism and individual rights “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 1776