~The 18th century philosophical movement in
Europe and America, which emphasized intellectual
freedom and reason over tradition, questioning of
authority, and an empirical approach to science.
~Promoted a scientific approach to political and
social issues
~Gave rise to a sense of human progress
Reason
• The Enlightenment was also known as the Age
of Reason.
• People of the Enlightenment believed human
reason could:
~discover the natural laws of the universe
~determine the natural rights of mankind
~promote unending progress in knowledge,
technical achievement, & moral values
Reason
• They believed reason shows life as it is,
whereas imagination shows life as people
wish it were or fear it may be.
• Reason can be used to combat ignorance,
superstition and tyranny
Hawthorne Alludes to the Enlightenment in
The Scarlet Letter:
“Men bolder than these had overthrown and
rearranged—not actually, but within the sphere
of theory, which was their most real abode—the
whole system of ancient prejudice, wherewith
was linked much of ancient principle. Hester
Prynne imbibed this spirit. She assumed a
freedom of speculation, then common enough
on the other side of the Atlantic, but which our
forefathers, had they known it, would have held
to be a deadlier crime than that stigmatized by
the scarlet letter.”
Deism
• Enlightenment thinking lead to Deism, a new
religious philosophy
• Deists believed in God as a great inventor or
architect who had created the universe and then
allowed it to function without divine
intervention.
• Deists believed in an after-life, but human
achievement and happiness should be the focus
of this life
• Rather than focusing on God, the people
focused on man.
Defining Deism…
• Deism is defined in Webster's
Encyclopedic Dictionary as: "[From Latin
Deus, God.Deity] The doctrine or creed of
a Deist“
• A Deist is “One who believes in the
existence of a God or supreme being but
denies revealed religion, basing his belief
on the light of nature and reason."
René Descartes
French Philosopher
1596 -1650
“cogito ergo suma” (I think therefore I am)
Father of Modern Philosophy
Universal Doubt—only one thing cannot be doubted, and that is doubt
itself; therefore, the doubter must exist
Sir Isaac Newton
Mathematician
1642 – 1727
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of
giants.”
John Locke
American Philosopher
1632 - 1704
“Though the familiar use of the Things about us, takes off our
Wonder; yet it cures not our Ignorance."
John Locke’s Ideas
• Tabla Rasa—the mind is born a blank
upon which all knowledge is inscribed in
the form of human experience
• Attacked the divine right of kings (ideas
of checks and balances)
• Revolution is not only a right but an
obligation (social contract)
Benjamin Franklin
pseudonym,
Richard Saunders
Poor Richard’s Almanac
1706 - 1790
“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”
Benjamin Franklin
(1706—1800)
• Never received a formal education
• Was one of 17 children
• At 17 years old, traveled to Philadelphia
and began producing Poor Richard’s
Almanac
• Invented the lightning rod, bifocals, new
type of stove & confirmed laws of
electricity
Ben Franklin’s Writing
• We will read “Caustic Wit,” an ironic, satirical
letter to the London press
--Franklin wanted Britain to see the
foolishness of their attempts to keep
Americans under their control
• We will read from “The Autobiography,” which
he wrote for his son over a period of 19 years
Aphorisms
• Ben Franklin was known for his aphorisms
• Aphorism—is a short concise statement
expressing a wise or clever observation or general
truth
--may contain rhymes or repeated sounds
--Franklin put an aphorism at the top or
bottom of most pages in his almanac.
“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”
“God helps them that help themselves.”
“A small leak will sink a great ship.”
Aphorisms
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
“The rotten apple spoils his companions.”
“If your head is wax, don’t walk in the sun.”
Jean de Crevecoeur
(1735—1813)
• First writer to compare America to a melting
pot:
“Here [in America] all nations are melted into a
new race of men, whose labors and posterity will
one day cause great changes in the world.”
~Letters from an American Farmer
• Wrote of America as a land of great promise
Patrick Henry
1736 – 1799
Lawyer, Politician
“I know not what course others may take, but as for
me, Give me liberty or give me death.”
Thomas Paine
1737 - 1809
“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
Thomas Paine (1737—1809)
• Considered to be the most effective
American political writer of the
Revolution
• Throughout the war, his pamphlets
convinced people of the justness of the
American cause
Thomas Paine’s Writing
• Common Sense (1776)—a pamphlet in which he
accused the English king of tyranny
• The American Crisis (1776)—series of 16 essays,
written after he enlisted in American army
• The Rights of Man (1792)—supported the
Revolutionary cause; was imprisoned for
pleading against the execution of the
overthrown French king
• The Age of Reason (1785)—sharp attack of
organized religion; he began writing in prison
Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence
1743 – 1806
"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work,
the more I have of it. "
The Literature of the
Enlightenment
• Centered around having a purpose:
To instruct, enlighten and
make people think
• Was mostly nonfiction—fact based rather than
imaginative
• Political, social & philosophical concerns were
expressed in writing
• Information became more available—
Newspapers were popular
Often symbolize the passing from one state to
another, the coming of age or passing through
spiritual stages towards enlightenment, from the
profane to the sacred. The threshold marks the
meeting place of the natural and the supernatural.
Being between places is nowhere, a quality shared by
crossroads. It marks the boundary between what is
known and what is unknown.
The Enlightenment made The
Pendulum Swing!
• Swing of the pendulum from Godcentered life and concentration on the
after-life to reason and the belief that man
could know about his world
• There was no real unity of ideas, but there
was a tremendous intellectual energy and
enthusiasm generated.