1. The Enlightenment

2. 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

3. 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?

4. 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

5. Rene Descartes,
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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Thomas Jefferson,
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