1. Enlightened Philosophes
(Philosophers)

2. Unit Objectives To understand what the Enlightenment was
To learn who the philosophes were and what impact they had
To compare and contrast the philosophes

3. The Age of Reason, mid-1700s
What was the “Enlightenment”?

4. Philosophes (or philosophers) sought new ideas about government, religion, economics, and education as a result of the Renaissance and Reformation—Many see the Enlightenment as an extension of the Renaissance
Like during the Renaissance, the old traditional ways were challenged
Instead of blaming the supernatural or God for what was not understood, philosophes looked for the real answers based on reason and study

5. Five Core Concepts
Reason (Truth could be discovered through reason or logical thinking)
Nature (What was natural was also good and reasonable)
Happiness (Urged people to seek well-being on earth, not wait for hereafter)
Progress (Society and humankind could improve)
Liberty (Supported liberties like the ones won by the British people in the Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights)

6. What is a “social contract”?

7. Several philosophes believed in social contracts, but not all in the same way

8. Thomas Hobbes British Believed in a social contract
Write The Leviathan (1651)
He was convinced that humans were naturally selfish and wicked and needed a strong ruler to keep the people under control

9. Hobbes
Type of government Hobbes preferred:

10. Hobbes
What was absolute monarchy based on?

11. Hobbes
What did Hobbes believe it should be based on? In other words, Hobbes believed the people should agree to be ruled by an absolute ruler for their own good

12. John Locke British Locke also believed in a social contract
Locke had a more positive view of human nature and believed people had the ability to grow from experiences and govern themselves
Locke believed all people should be born free and equal and were entitled to three natural rights:

13. Locke
Locke believed it was the government’s job to protect these rights—What if it didn’t?

14. Locke
Locke criticized absolute monarchy and preferred a government in which the people rules themselves (democracy)

15. Locke
Like Hobbes, Locke believed a government’s power should come with the consent of the governed, he just believed
in the people doing the
governing themselves
instead of agreeing to be
ruled by a monarch

16. Rousseau
French
Rousseau also believed in a social contract but in a different way—Instead of believing it to be a contract between a society and its government like Hobbes, he believed it to be an agreement between free individuals to create a society and a government
Like Locke, Rousseau believed government came from the consent of the governed but in a much broader way—He believed all people were equal and all titles of nobility should be abolished, which inspired the French Revolution
Wrote The Social Contract

17. Rousseau
Direct Democracy:

18. Rousseau Believed strongly in individual freedom
His opinion on human nature:

19. Voltaire French Wrote often about tolerance, reason, freedom of
religion, and especially freedom of speech
Sent to jail in France twice
and was once exiled to
England for things he wrote
that were critical of the French
monarchy
“I do not agree with a word you
say but will defend to the death
your right to say it.”

20. Voltaire Known for being critical of Christianity
Believed in Deism: Belief based on reason and natural law that a mechanic (God) created the universe and it worked like a clock that ran based on natural laws

21. Diderot Wrote the Encyclopedia
Purpose was to change the general way of thinking—it helped spread ideas of Enlightenment
It became a weapon against old French society attacking religious superstition and supporting religious tolerance

22. Baron de Montesquieu French Devoted to political liberty
Believed in a balanced government that included:

23. Montesquieu Checks and Balances:
Became the basis for the U.S. Constitution

24. Cesare Beccaria Italian
Believed laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes
Criticized abuses of justice like torturing witnesses or suspects, irregular proceedings in trials, cruel and unusual punishments (inspired the 8th Amendment in the Bill of Rights)
Did not believe in capital punishment—Do you?

25. Mary Wollstonecraft British
Supported educating women and encouraged women to enter predominantly male fields like medicine and politics