Enlightenment Society & Politics
- 1. The EnlightenmentPolitics & Philosophy
- 2. Bell RingerIn your notebooks, answer:What was the Enlightenment?How did the SR impact the Enlightenment?
- 4. Three Themes in the Political RealmPropertyCentral feature
- 5. Gives an individual a stake in societyRightsEvery individual is entitled to basic rights simply because they existLawThat which makes 1 & 2 work
- 6. Guarantees property & rightsPolitical Philosophes
- 7. John Locke1632-1704 Most influential writing was “Two Treatises of Civil Government” written in 1690
- 8. Locke’s PhilosophyThe individual must become a “rational creature”Virtue can be learned & practicedHuman beings possess free willThey should be prepared for freedom
- 9. Obedience should be out of conviction, not fearLocke’s Philosophy (cont.)Legislators owe their power to a contract with the peopleNeither kings nor wealth are divinely ordainedThere are certain natural rights that are endowed by God to all human beingsLife, liberty, & propertyFavored a republic
- 10. Baron de Montesquieu(1689-1755) Most influential writing was “Spirit of the Laws” written in 1748“Countries are well-cultivated, not as they are fertile, but as they are free.”
- 11. Montesquieu’s Philosophy Used England’s government as a model for:
- 12. The separation of powers
- 13. Executive Power = King
- 14. Legislative Power = Parliament
- 15. Judicial Power = Courts
- 17. Monarchs should be subject to constitutional limits on their powerJean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 Most influential writing was “The Social Contract” written in 1762
- 18. Rousseau’s PhilosophyTabula Rasa (blank slate)
- 19. Best traits of human character are products of nature
- 20. Society corrupts people, therefore, we must fix societyRousseau (cont.)In The Social Contract:The right kind of political order could make people truly moral & free
- 21. Individual moral freedom could be achieved only by learning to subject one’s individual interests to the “General Will”Rousseau - Social Contract (cont.)Individuals could do this by entering into a social contract - not with their rulers, but with each other
- 22. This social contract was derived from human nature -NOT from history, tradition, or the Bible
- 23. People = most free & moral under a republican form of government with a direct democracyPhilosophical Enlightenment
- 24. Marquis de Condorcet1743-1794Most influential writing: Progress of the Human Mind (1794)
- 25. Condorcet’s PhilosophyExpectation of universal happinessEvery individual guided by reason could enjoy true independenceAdvocated:Free & equal education
- 27. Equal rights for womenImmanuel Kant1724-1804 Most influential work: Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
- 28. Kant’s PhilosophyInvestigated the structure & limitations of reasonBelieved he created a compromise between the empiricists and the rationalists (reason + experience = Enlightenment)
- 29. Denis Diderot1713-1784Most influential writing:The Encyclopedia (1751)(coauthor: Jean le Rond d’Alembert)
- 30. Diderot’s EncyclopédieComplete cycle of knowledge that changed the general way of thinking28 volumesAlphabetical, cross-referenced, illustrated
- 33. Voltaire1694-1778François Marie ArouetMost famous book: Candide (1759)Known for sharp wit that was often critical of the church and state
- 34. Voltaire (cont.)Wrote plays, novels, poetry, essays, & lettersFierce defender of civil liberties, especially:Religious freedom
- 35. Free trade
- 36. Freedom of speechSpent time imprisoned in the Bastille
- 37. Voltaire (cont.)Life (video)Last words
- 38. Words of Wisdom from VoltaireEach group will get a quote from VoltaireYour job is to: Discuss the quote & figure out what Voltaire meant
- 39. Offer to the class your group’s interpretation of Voltaire’s wisdom & how it relates to the EnlightenmentHomeworkWorksheet: Rousseau’s The Social ContractDue next class period