1. The Ideas of the Enlightenment
Chapter 22 – Lesson 2…

2. What was the Enlightenment?
The Enlightenment was an 18th century philosophical movement of intellectuals who were greatly impressed with the achievements of the Scientific Revolution.
A key ideas of Enlightened intellectuals was “reason” – or the application of the scientific method to ALL of life (not just science) in order to progress to a better society.
The “enlightened ideas” of reason, natural law, hope and progress would become a force for reform and eventually for revolution.
JOHN LOCKE and ISAAC NEWTON were very influential on enlightenment thought & their ideas were evident in the works of enlightenment philosophes.
QUEST OF ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS… WHAT WERE THE NATURAL LAWS THAT GOVERNED HUMAN SOCIETY?? If they could be identified & followed, then an ideal society should be the result!

3. The role of philosophy…
Philosophe – French for “philosopher” – defined as people who offer views or theories on profound questions. They were writers, professors, journalists, economists & during this time period… SOCIAL REFORMERS. They believed their chief role was to influence the world.
THE DOMINANT PHILOSOPHERS of the 18th century –
Montesquieu
Voltaire
Diderot

4. The philosophes…
MONTESQUIEU: tried to find the natural laws that govern the social and political relationships of all human beings. His works examined the political system of England & his key idea was SEPARATION OF POWERS within the governing system. He favored a system of checks and balances where each branch of government would limit and control the other in a way that would provide the greatest freedom and security for the state. (this would be a major principle in many Constitutions to come… including ours).
VOLTAIRE: referred to as “the greatest figure of the Enlightenment” – born into France’s middle class & discarded by French nobility – he wrote passionately on behalf of religious tolerance (did not exist in Catholic France) and DEISM -  the idea that God exists and should be worshipped… BUT… true religious and ethical teachings did not come from the Scriptures or from the Church but instead was acquired through the use of God-given human reason. As a result, Deists rejected many basic Christian Biblical teachings because they believed these were not confirmed by human reason and scientific research.

5. The philosophes…
DIDEROT: French philosophe/lawyer who edited an Encyclopedia of the Sciences, Arts & Trades, which helped spread key Enlightenment ideas & changed the way of thinking in France leading to demands for religious toleration, social, legal & political reform.
ADAM SMITH: Scottish Philosopher known as the “father of economics & capitalism” his book “The Wealth of Nations” proposed that the gov’t (“state”) should NOT interfere in economic matters; gov’t should PROTECT society from invasion; DEFEND citizens from injustice; and PROMOTE social welfare by keeping up public works that private individuals alone could not afford (roads/canals, etc) – and should take a hands off (“LAISSEZ-FAIRE”) approach to the economy which he believed would regulate itself through the invisible hand of the profit motive.

6. The philosophes…
ROUSSEAU: writing in the later years of the Enlightenment, his writings he argued that although people had adopted laws & gov’t. in order to preserve their private property, in the process they had become enslaved by gov’t & needed to regain their freedom through a SOCIAL CONTRACT – where an entire society AGREES to be governed by its general will and all individuals must be forced to follow what is best for the general will because that is what is best for the entire community (majority rule idea).
WOLLSTONERCRAFT: An English writer who helped to dispel the belief that women were inferior to men. She worked to improve the condition of women so she is often seen as the founder of the women’s rights movement. She used the arguments of respected MALE Enlightened thinkers to make a case for power for women. Her argument was that if government based on the arbitrary power of monarchs was wrong – then the arbitrary power of men over women was wrong also. And if the Enlightenment was based on an ideal of reason in ALL human beings – since women were human beings – they must have reason and therefore should have rights equal to men in education, economic and political life.

7. Spreading Scientific Rev. & Enlightenment Ideas……
Arguably even the greatest ideas are diminished if they are never shared… so sharing the ideas of this time period was an important part of the ideas ultimately leading to changes in society. The PRINTING PRESS was one way in which the innovations of the Scientific Revolution were shared and spread.
The growth of PUBLISHING and READING and the development of newspapers and magazines written for the general public were important aspects of sharing new ideas. Newspapers especially – which were inexpensive or free at coffeehouses throughout Europe – facilitated the spread of information.
SALONS were another method of spreading ideas. A salon is an elegant drawing room found in the homes 18th century nobility. Here artists, writers, aristocrats, government officials, wealthy middle and upper class people would gather at parties to discuss the ideas of the philosophes.
Enlightenment ideas even spread to ARCHITECTURE, ART & MUSIC. A new artistic style emerged called ROCOCO that was different from the old baroque style as it focused on grace & charm and the pursuit of pleasure, happiness & love!

8. Auditory Learning…
A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN
As you listen to the introduction of the above book by Mary Wollstonecraft, answer the following …
How does she feel about the state of women in her time?
On what does she blame the status of women?
Choose ONE idea that jumps out at you either because you strongly AGREE or strongly DISAGREE with it.