The Enlightenment
The 18 th Century Political History - Political History - Reform Intellectual History - Intellectual History - Reason Cultural History - Cultural History - Individualism Social History - - Social History - Increased Literacy - Age of Aristocracy Economic History - Economic History - Mercantilism to Capitalism
Thomas Hobbes Lived in England (1588 – 1679) Wrote the Leviathan Believed that humans exist in a primitive “state of nature” and only consent to government for self- protection. Thought that people were naturally bad and barbaric
John Locke ( ) From England Wrote Two Treatises of Government
John Locke’s Philosophy There are certain natural rights that are endowed by God to all human beings. - life, liberty, property! The doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings was nonsense. He favored a republic (leaders and representatives are elected by the people) as the best form of government.
Immanuel Kant ( ) Critique of Pure Reason, 1781 “What is Enlightenment?”, 1784 Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science, 1786
Thomas Paine ( ) Common Sense, 1776 The Rights of Man, 1791
The American “Philosophes” John Adams ( ) Ben Franklin ( ) Thomas Jefferson ( ) Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…
Voltaire ( ) From France Candide, 1759 believed in freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
Voltaire’s “Wisdom” E Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do. God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. t is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. Love truth and pardon error.
Voltaire’s “Wisdom” J Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Men are equal; it is not birth, but virtue that makes the difference. Prejudice is opinion without judgment. The way to become boring is to say everything. I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
The Baron de Montesquieu ( ) France On the Spirit of Laws, 1758
Montesquieu To prevent tyranny, there should be separation of powers in the government Greatly influenced the American form of government: three branches Executive Legislative Judicial "In a true state of nature, indeed, all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of laws."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau ( ) France The Social Contract, 1762
Rousseau Believed that total freedom is the natural condition of human beings, and that people enter into society (and into having social and political restrictions on their own freedom) voluntarily. Why do people do this? People trade natural liberty for civil liberty (liberty protected by the state/government) for the good of everyone – to benefit/promote the whole community. The appropriate form of government for any state depends on the character of the people. Government should be subject to review/be changed by its citizens
The Physiocrats: A Celebration of the Farmer An economic theory which considered that the wealth of nations was derived solely from agriculture. They strongly opposed mercantilism, because they pictured the peasant society as the economic foundation of a nation’s wealth.
Capitalism – New Economic Idea Adam Smith The Wealth of Nations What did Smith believe in? Profit (making $) motivates people. Division of labor. Private ownership of property. Law of Supply & Demand. aw of Competition (it’s a good thing). Free trade.
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