European Middle Ages c C.E.

European Renaissance c Niccolo MachiavelliMichelangelo’s David

The Scientific Revolution (c.1500s-1700s) Developed the modern scientific method Universe ordered according to natural laws Discovered that scientific laws can be discovered by human reason Took the role of a deity or god out of the study of the universe Mechanical views of the universe

What is the EnlightWhat is the Enlightenment attitudeenment attitude? What is the Enlightenment attitude? (1)A desire for rationality, logic, consistency. (2)A preference for evidence, not faith (skepticism) (3) Increased interest in science, mathematics, geometry (4) An admiration for ancient Greece and Rome and an abhorrence for everything medieval. (5) A preference for the artificial over the natural, technology over wilderness (seen as “progress”). (1)A desire for rationality, logic, consistency. (2)A preference for evidence, not faith (skepticism) (3) Increased interest in science, mathematics, geometry (4) An admiration for ancient Greece and Rome and an abhorrence for everything medieval. (5) A preference for the artificial over the natural, technology over wilderness (seen as “progress”). What was the Enlightenment attitude?

They thought, discussed, wrote about everything: government religion science education history social institutions ethics/justice political thought They sought to apply rules of reason & common sense to society's institutions & customs. Enlightenment thinkers (“philosophes”) had faith that man could improve himself w/o aid of God. Not all agreed on specific beliefs, but all agreed to discuss & question how society operated

GENERAL VIEWS & HUMAN RIGHTS HELD IN COMMON by Enlightenment Thinkers: everyone's natural rights upheld born w/certain rights never to be taken away yours from birth because you were human desire to reform for sake of freedom freedom from arbitrary power of government freedom of speech freedom of trade freedom of religion (“toleration”) freedom of press/no censorship of books freedom of privacy freedom from unlawful arrest trial by jury equality of opportunity in society equality before law more equal tax structure not based on class system written constitution right for males to vote must be public education international exchange of ideas based on open communication

ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS ON RELIGION i)Enlightenment thinkers “philosophes” blamed the church more than any other institution for obstructing reason & progress through its perpetuation of myth, ritual & tradition ii)Philosophes denounced fanaticism, intolerance & superstition condemning clergy as hypocrites who incited their followers to kill in name of holiness & love (i.e. religious wars, pogroms, etc.) iii)many philosophes adopted religious attitude called DEISM: (1)God as an impersonal clockmaker, or a great force which had set the machinery of the world in motion and then left it to run by itself iv)Yet most of the philosophes did not seek abolition of religion, but its transformation into a humane force that would encourage virtuous living & for toleration of people's beliefs

What was the Enlightenment aesthetically? (1)A desire for geometric shapes, orderly repetition in mathematical patterns. (2) A disdain of “messiness” and “chaos” in art and clothing and hairstyles as being unharmonious. (3) Greco-Roman architecture (4) Satire as a means of social critique (1)A desire for geometric shapes, orderly repetition in mathematical patterns. (2) A disdain of “messiness” and “chaos” in art and clothing and hairstyles as being unharmonious. (3) Greco-Roman architecture (4) Satire as a means of social critique

Characteristics of Neoclassical art  Order and Harmony  Simplicity of shape and exactness of proportion  Gardens  Ordering creation  Intellectual rather than emotional or spiritual  Classicism  Restraint, good sense, decorum, good taste, correctness