The Enlightenment
The Restoration Monarchy & Anglican Church restored in 1660 with Charles II Increasingly, monarchs had to share authority with Parliament 1689: English Bill of Rights limited monarchy further Period of extravagance and refinement for the nobility Coronation Procession of Charles II to Westminster from the Tower of London (1661) by Dirck Stoop.
Age of Reason Late 17th-late 18th century Increasing reliance on empiricism and scientific reasoning, not religion, to understand the world Period of scientific advancement, intellectual growth, and improved living conditions Shared ideas in salons and coffeehouses “The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone” (1771) by Joseph Wright
Scientific Revolution Developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry transformed views of society and nature Asking “how,” not “why,” to explain natural phenomena Famous scientists: Isaac Newton Francis Bacon Table of astronomy from the 1728 Cyclopaedia
Philosophers John Locke: government compromise, tabula rasa Thomas Hobbes: humans inherently evil, government helps control them Jean-Jacques Rousseau: humans born good, corrupted by society Rene Descartes: “I think, therefore I am.” David Hume: skepticism Immanuel Kant: reasoning invalid because of subjective experience
Other Innovators Music: Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven Women’s rights: Olympe de Gouges, Mary Wollstonecraft Peace: John Comenius, Hugo Grotius Economics: Adam Smith
Enlightenment Literature Middle class had more money and free time to spend on reading Shift towards prose and realistic experiences Rise of journalism Neoclassic literature aimed at elite; often used sarcasm and satire “Franklin in London” by David Martin, 1767
Literature Famous writers of the Enlightenment: Jonathan Swift Alexander Pope Voltaire Daniel Defoe Charlotte Smith Robert Burns Samuel Johnson (1st dictionary) Top: “Weimar’s Courtyard of the Muses” by Theobald von Oer Bottom: “Death of Socrates” by Jacques Louis David, 1787