The age of
Enlightenment.
Eighteenth Century France
The objectives of this slide show are:
• In what ways was the enlightenment and outgrowth of the
Scientific Revolution
• What were some of the new fads of thought that also
occurred during the enlightenment?
• Indentify the importance of the Encyclopedia
• Assess the importance of Montesquieu’s ideas on the
American Revolution
• You will know the main targets of the criticisms of
Voltaire and Rousseau.
• You will learn how the Callas case was a case for the
freedom of all mankind against despotic government.
The
Enlightenment
was an
extension of
the Scientific
Revolution
It took place against the backdrop
of the various European Wars,
including:
• The War of Spanish Succession
• The War of Austrian Succession
• The Seven Years War
These terrible wars, with their
excessive death tolls, only added
evidence to the claims of
Enlightenment Philosophers
Human beings should be rational and
not kill each other.
Total Losses: 991,500 [K=1/4-1/3: 250-330,000]
MEDIAN (interpolated & rounded)
Military: 600,000
Civilian: 700,000
Total: 1,300,000
The
Enlightenment
was the belief that
humankind will
advance over
time.
That better things were to come. . .
This was different than the prior belief
that the times of the Ancients, Greece,
Rome, and Biblical times had never and
would never be surpassed
Science had
helped to
end
Witchcraft
and
superstition
The ideas of science collided with the
idea of God
Perhaps God was not so personal.
Perhaps he was an intelligent human
being who wound up the watch and let
events unfold.
Many saw God as a “Watchmaker”—
who wound the watch up and let it
run…this was called deism.
..leaving human beings the
freedom to govern themselves.
That God was governed by the natural
laws that Newton laid down.
Therefore it was up to mankind
to chose its destiny.
Two cultures
collided with
this belief—the
popular and the
elite.
During this exciting time, some tried
a greater commitment to religion. In
England, Handel wrote his great
Messiah…
and John Wesley
founded the
Methodists. He
preached in
America. This
religious agitation
was part of the
Great Awakening.
The great
awakening is a
part of
American
history, also.
The elite in society were not part of
these upsets—they aligned themselves
with the official churches: Anglican,
Lutheran or Catholic.
At the same time, strange ideas also
arose…these ideas were “fads” or areas
of mystery.
J.C. Lavater spoke of physiognomy.
And F.A.
Mesmer
“mesmerized”
people.
The ideas of Freemasonry took form in
England and Colonial America.
The masons met secretly, had rituals,
and, some said, had secret knowledge
about ancient rites.
By the way, before we go on, where is
our Masonic Temple in Salem?
The Masons were very popular among all walks of life. Even
though they were a “secret” society, they met to discuss many
enlightenment concepts.
A German offset of
the Masons were
the Illuminati.
Of course, the Illuminati, have been
featured in a recent best-selling book—
what is that book?
Right, the Da
Vinci Code.
But of all these groups, the most
enlightened and influential were the
Philosophes.
What’s a Philosophe?
They were men
who were
writers, literary
critics, wellknown figures
who
popularized the
ideas of the
enlightenment.
We can even consider that Frederick the
Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph
of Austria were also “philosophes”
inasmuch as they advocated the ideas
of the enlightenment.
A philosphe wrote and stirred the pot of
new ideas.
Their audience was the informed public
from all classes. They had a lot to say
about the flaws of society.
Paris was the heart of this new
movement.
And women provided the meeting
places in their elegant salons.
The salons were legendary…intelligent women
provided a setting for the philosophes to meet
and discuss the challenges of the day.
Of course, it helped if
the women were
charming and witty.
They met on
certain days of
the week and
discussed a
variety of
subjects.
In the salons,
talent and
creativity
counted more
than noble
lineage.
In aristocratic circles, Society was
still mainly concerned about
appearances. The elaborate
parties codified etiquette. Wit
became most important. Guests
competed to say the most erudite
and witty comment. If they said
something “wrong” they were
openly ridiculed!
And one of
the great
ironies of
these salons is
that many
revolutionary
ideas would
find their
roots in these
discussions.
The most
famous
achievement
of the
Enlightenment
was the
Encyclopedia.
The Encyclopedia is different than what
we have on the shelves of our library
today…
The Encyclopedia came to be a set of
17 very large volumes published
between 1751 and 1772.
The publisher
was a Denis
Diderot.
People paid to have a volume of
the Encyclopedia.
The Encyclopedia had articles on
everything from philosophy to bonesetting to making gears!
The goal of the Encyclopedia was to
make available all the current up-todate technological, cultural, and
philosophical knowledge of the day.
It was unique because it was purchased
by people from all over Europe. Even
small towns had at least one copy.
The information was shared, improved
upon, and widely discussed: People
were enlightened by its knowledge.
Montesquieu, Voltaire,
and Rousseau.
The famous philosophes…
Our first philosophe is Monetesquieu
(1689-1755)
He developed important ideas that have a direct
bearing on our American Society:
His revolutionary
idea was the
separation and
balance of powers.
Power should be
divided between the
King and the People.
He admired the English
constitution.
This would have a strong influence on
the Americans when they debated and
wrote their constitution.
• Montesquieu’s ideas greatly influenced the
founding fathers. They incorporated the idea
of separation of powers into the constitution.
Montesquieu is the “unknown” father of our
country.
Voltaire (1694-1778)
One of the greatest minds of all
time…
Voltaire
lived a long
time,
traveled a
lot, wrote a
lot, and was
very
influential.
As a young man he spent time in the
Bastille for his criticism of Louis XV’s
regent, the Duke of Orleans.
He was a courtier of Madame de Pompadour, Louis
XV and spent two years in Frederick the Great’s court.
He wrote social
satires and was
widely read.
Voltaire was
the great
champion of
freedom of
thought.
He believed in religious toleration.
One of his most
famous quotes about
religion was “Ecrasez
l’infame!” which
translated means
“crush the infamous
thing.” He was
referring to the
Catholic church.
He said that slavery was “ridiculous,” and a
travesty of freedom.
He took on the defense of many who
were victims of despotic power.
His most famous case was the
Calas case.
Calas was a Protestant who was accused of killing his
mentally ill son, who was a Catholic. In reality, the
son had committed suicide.The local authorities (the
local parlement) ordered that Calas be executed.
The elder Calas was broken at the
wheel in a brutal, public execution.
Voltaire was excited
about the case, and saw
it as a very public
chance to exonerate, and
publicize the injustices
inherent in France.
The Calas family was fully vindicated.
This was a victory for liberty and a
blow against injustice.
This victory was the talk of Europe,
and Voltaire was on the lips of all who
loved freedom.
As an aristocrat, Voltaire was a believer
in liberty—for “his kind”—that is the
enlightened classes.
He didn’t think that the common
folk..those of lower class origin,
Like you guys…
Were the ones that should be ruling
France.
His younger counterpart, Rosseau, had
different ideas…
Unlike Voltaire,
Rosseau did not
come from the
upper classes. He
was neglected as a
child, a runaway
at 16, and was
largely selftaught.
But his
writings would
have an even
more lasting
influence than
Voltaire.
He attacked
society as
artificial
and corrupt.
He criticized the salons…
He argued that much of civilization was
evil and corrupt.
His book Emile condemned formal,
rigid education.
Rousseau’s most
important book was
the Social Contract.
The contract was among
the people themselves.
This contract was the
General Will.
Individuals, though they
had their own liberty,
must surrender to the
liberty of the masses—the
General Will.
The founding fathers of America thought
this idea of General Will was a bit
strange…
This idea would be
exploited in the French
Revolution, to justify
the use of widespread
executions. It was the
“General Will” that
such atrocities happen.
Both totalitarians (dictators) and democrats
have said that Rousseau’s General Will was
part of their ideology.
Rousseau is also considered the “Father” of
the Romantic movement.
His novels were widely read. They fostered a
love of common things, common people. He
said that women should nurse their own babies,
and that people should clothe themselves in
natural, loose clothing.
Voltaire thought Rousseau to be a joke—he
said “After I’ve read Rousseau, I feel like I
have to get down on all fours.”
This return to nature influenced literature
and fostered a few fads…
Some, like the French Queen Marie Antoinette,
built fake “peasant’ villages where they could
play like they were a milk maid!
The upper classes began to see their lives as artificial and shallow.
Voltaire and Rousseau were Enlightenment
thinkers who influenced ideas of liberty.
The objectives of this slide show
were:
• In what ways was the enlightenment and outgrowth of the
Scientific Revolution
• What were some of the new fads of thought that also
occurred during the enlightenment?
• Indentify the importance of the Encyclopedia
• Assess the importance of Montesquieu’s ideas on the
American Revolution
• You will know the main targets of the criticisms of
Voltaire and Rousseau.
• You will learn how the Callas case was a case for the
freedom of all mankind against despotic government.