The Enlightenment
Age of Reason
Hobbes
The Leviathan
Humans exist in a primitive “state of nature” and consent to government for self-protection.
Locke: natural rights to life, liberty, and property
Two Treatises on Government
people are sovereign and rulers are not chosen by God
Montesquieu
The Spirit of Laws—The best form of government includes a separation of powers.
Government is a contract between rulers and the people.
Voltaire believed that religious toleration should triumph over religious fanaticism
separation of church and state
Enlightenment beliefs into the Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of the United States of America and Bill of Rights incorporated Enlightenment ideas
The Enlightenment influenced revolutions in America and France
What American incorporated Enlightenment beliefs into the Declaration of Independence? ___________
What 3 American documents were influenced by Enlightenment ideas? __________________________
What was the Enlightenment?
The Enlightenment was an eighteenth-century
philosophical movement built on the achievements of
the Scientific Revolution
Applied reason to the human world, not just the natural
world
Stimulated religious tolerance
Fueled democratic revolutions
around the world
What was the Enlightenment?
Enlightenment thinkers believed that human progress
was possible when they applied scientific knowledge
and reason to issues of law and government.
Enlightenment ideas influenced the leaders of the
American Revolution and the writing of the
Declaration of Independence.
Enlightenment Terms
Philosophe: Enlightenment thinker. Most were writers,
professors, economists, journalists, and social
reformers.
Social Contract: members of society agree to
be governed by the general will, which represents what
is best for society as a whole
Deism: Deists believe the world is like a clock that God
created and set according to his natural laws, and then
let it run without his intervention
Enlightenment Terms
Rationalism-belief that human nature could be
logically explained using reason and the Scientific
Method
Secularism- the belief that religion should have no part
in political or civic affairs or in running public
institutions, especially schools
Individualism- the uniqueness and distinctiveness of
each individual
René Descartes 1596 – 1650
Descartes has been called the father of modern
rationalism: reason is the chief source of knowledge.
Discourse on Method (1637) begins by calling all
knowledge into question
He could rationally be sure of only
one thing- his own existence:
“Cogito, ergo sum”
“I think therefore I am”
Where were these ideas exchanged?
The Salon
Salons were gatherings in the elegant homes of the
wealthy where the new ideas were spread.
The guests took part in conversations, often about the
new philosophical ideas.
Nobles, thinkers, artists, and
government officials attended
these salons. Some became
very famous.
Madame Geoffrin
Geoffrin was unable to receive a formal education.
It has been suggested that the salon acted as a
schoolhouse
Madame Geoffrin's popularity
in the mid-eighteenth century
came at a decisive time as the
center of social life was beginning
to move away from the French
court and toward the salons of Paris
Madame Geoffrin’s Salon
Thomas Hobbes 1588 –1679
Believed that humans exist in a primitive “state of
nature”
Believed people consent to government for selfprotection
Believed anarchy to be a state of nature.
Supporter of absolute monarchy
“Life is solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish, and short”
Wrote Leviathan - 1651
Leviathan -1651
Written during the English Civil War
The book concerns the structure of society and
legitimate government.
One of the earliest and most influential examples of
social contract theory.
John Locke 1632 –1704
Wrote Two Treatises on Government
People consent to government for the protection of
natural rights
Natural rights: Life – Liberty – Property
Supporter of Democracy
Locke believed people are:
Sovereign (independent, self-governing)
John Locke
Argued that people are born with a mind that is a
tabula rasa, or blank slate, and that knowledge
comes to it through the five senses.
This meant that the right influences could create a
new kind of society by creating a new way of
understanding
The Social Contract
The social contract is the concept that human beings
have made an agreement with their government,
whereby the government and the people have distinct
roles and responsibilities.
The theory is based on the idea that humans
abandoned a natural (free and ungoverned) condition
in favor of a society that provides them with order,
structure, and most importantly, protection.
Agree to be governed by the general will.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712 –1778
Published The Social Contract in 1762
According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau the Social
Contract is between rulers and the people
Montesquieu 1689-1755
His idea of checks and balances would influence the
U.S. Constitution
Published The Spirit of the Laws 1748
Separation of power into three branches
Believed the best form of government included a
separation of powers and was elected by the people
Voltaire 1694 – 1778
Believed that religious toleration should triumph
over religious fanaticism
Believed in separation of church and state
Wrote: Candide & Philosophical Letters
Visited Catherine the Great of Russia
“I do not agree with what
you say, but I'll defend to
the death your right to
say it.”
Denis Diderot 1713 –1784
Leading philosophe who contributed articles on
everything from criticizing aspects of society, the
church, government, the slave trade, torture, taxes,
and war
Edited The Encyclopedia:
Combined articles of leading
Philosophes and scientists
covering every subject possible.
Mary Wollstonecraft 1759 –1797
Wrote: A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman in 1792
Early spokesperson for Women’s
Rights
Governments should extend
political rights to women
Ideals of equality should be
extended to women
Women should enjoy educational
freedoms
Enlightenment Influence in America
Thomas Jefferson was greatly
influenced by European
Enlightenment thinkers
Enlightenment beliefs were
incorporated into the
Declaration of
Independence, the
Constitution of the United
States of America and Bill
of Rights
Our Most Important Documents
Declaration of Independence:
"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”
A list of complaints against King George’s tyrannical
rule
The Constitution: provides the structure for the
government of the United States and limits the
powers of the President
Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the
Constitution
What are Natural Rights?
The right to:
• religious worship
• speech
• press
• assembly
• property
• the pursuit of happiness.
These rights are
referred to in the
American Declaration of Independence
Results of the Enlightenment
The Enlightenment influenced revolutions in:
America, France, Haiti and Mexico
Deists saw no point in any particular religion; they
recognized only a distant God, uninvolved in the
daily life of man
Culture During the Enlightenment
Representative artists, philosophers, and writers
Johann Sebastian Bach— Baroque Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart— Classical Composer
Eugène Delacroix— Romantic School Painter
Liberty Leading the People
Voltaire—Philosopher
Miguel de Cervantes—Novelist
Don Quixote de la Mancha First modern novel
New schools of art and forms of literature
Paintings depicted classical subjects, public events, natural scenes, and living people (portraits).
New forms of literature evolved—the novel (e.g., Cervantes’ Don Quixote).
What civilizations influenced artists of the Enlightenment?
Classical period
Name two composers of the 18th century?
Bach and Mozart
Who was a painter of the Enlightenment?
Eugène Delacroix
Who wrote Don Quixote?
Cervantes
What new form of literature appeared after the Enlightenment?
The novel
Technology During the Enlightenment
All-weather roads improved year- round transport and
trade.
New designs in farm tools increased productivity
(agricultural revolution).
Improvements in ship design lowered the cost of
transport.