The Enlightenment Age of Reason Philosophes Salons Characteristics natural law natural rights

Transcription

1 The Enlightenment Age f Reasn - Same as Enlightenment - 18 th Century - Years preceding the French Revlutin (1789) - Grew ut f Scientific Revlutin Philsphers applied reasn t scial, plitical, and ecnmic reasns Rejected authrity Demanded prf - Centered in France Started in England Spread all ver Eurpe - Philsphes French Philsphers Thinkers with critical and inquiring spirit Writers Men f letters Spread ideas f the Enlightenment Wrte fr the public Fun, cmical, satirical, pleasant Advcated refrm, nt revlutin Critical f sciety Gvernment Religin Ecnmics Law Ideas varied Agreed n key issues Valued equality Plitical freedm Religius tlerance Criticized rganized church Oppsed t superstitin, war, slavery Oppsed censrship Salns Ccktail parties/bk clubs Meetings in hmes f prminent wmen Gathered and discussed issues Helped spread ideas f Enlightenment Characteristics - Belief in natural law and natural rights - Emphasis n reasn, science, prf Skeptical f traditin, authrity, censrship - Rejectin f superstitin End t witchcraft - Critical f rganized religin Rejected riginal sin 1

2 - Deism Gd exists; nt atheist Gd=First Cause Man des nt need the church t prmise him salvatin Gd nt necessarily lving Gd; nly intellectual cncept Great Watchmaker Gd made the wrld, wund it up, and left it Intelligent Design present day deism Cnfined t the philsphes - Religius fervr remained Pietism Nrthern Germany Purify Lutheranism Mre persnal religin Inner Spirit nt reasn Methdism Jsh Wesley Against gambling, drinking, dancing Great Awakening in America Revival f religin Mystificatin J.C. Lavater Study facial expressins and figure ut character Mesmerism Antn F. Mesmer Try t hypntize patients Nt scientific Quack dctr Freemasns Secret sciety An rganized fraternity Met in ldges clsed t the public The Philsphes Mntesquieu - Backgrund French Aristcratic - Plitical scientist Studies different gvernments and culture Cncluded that nne f them were perfect, but all had gd characteristics Critical f abslute mnarchy Admired British Cnstitutinalism law is the highest, nt the king r ruler Balance f pwer Wanted t have little f every gvernment Separatin f Pwer Spirit f Laws 1748 Wanted divisin between legislative, judicial, and executive branches Balance f pwer 2

3 Interests in law Everyne must bey the law Including the king Liberty is ding whatever the laws allw Persian Letters Criticized Nbles Men are better, but wmen are capable Gd fr separatin f pwer Written like a travel lg Outsiders making bservatins and sending them hme Escaped censrship in this way Frms f gvernment vary by climate Desptism ht climates Demcracy cler climates - Scial views Oppsed slavery Vilated natural laws - Religius views Nt very religius Church useful fr the balance f pwer Cmpares the ppe t a magician Against Divine Right Pwer cmes frm the peple Vltaire - Backgrund Real name Francis Marie Aruet Ryal histrian t Luis XV Als cmmunicated with Catherine the Great Burgeis - Characteristics Very ppular Witty Funny Sarcastic Easiest t read Optimistic - Accmplishments Wrte 70+ bks Candide Mcked nbility and philsphers Tend t yur wn garden - Religius views Deist Believed in religius tleratin Highly critical f rganized church Criticized Christians Christ was a religius fanatic Bible is the wrk f ignrant men Miracles are a bunch f lies 3

4 - Plitical Views Clergy mre cncerned with privilege and pwer than mrals Christianity is the histry f religius persecutin in the name f Gd Enlightened Mnarchy is the Best Gvernment Need strng gvernment Peple t stupid t rule themselves Rulers shuld be enlightened Demcracy is kay, but nt fr France Gvernment shuld Fight stupidity and laziness Keep church weak Prtect freedm f thught, religin, and press - Scial views Nbility is surce f prblems Titles f nbility shuld be gtten rid f Oppsed t slavery Freedm f thught and press Oppsed t censrship I d nt believe a wrd yu say, but I will defend t the death yur right t say it Didert - Backgrund Denis Didert French Deist - Encyclpedia 28 vlumes Had pictures, and diagrams Each article written by a different authr Over 60,000 Very subjective Opininated and biased Banned by church Bad press is gd press! Sld 20,000 cpies Helped spread ideas f Enlightenment - Expsed evils f sciety Trture War Slavery - Supprted Free speech Educatin - Critical f Abslute mnarchy Organized religin Wanted t lk critically at everything - Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails f the last priest 4

5 Russeau - Backgrund Jean Jacques Russeau Very pr Gave kids t rphanage Cntrversial Misfit - Frerunner f Rmanticism Emtin is mst imprtant - Scial views Man brn gd Crrupted by busy sciety Prgress is bad Oppsed t mdern wrld Admired the nble savage Smene wh lived simple life Gd human qualities Wanted t refrm sciety Simpler life Free frm evil, private prperty, materialism Assuredness f liberty Wmen lack ability - Bks Emile life, educatin Cnfessins Sciety Scial Cntract Gvernment - Plitical views Mst demcratic Man is capable f ruling himself Faith in cmmn man Gvernment shuld reflect the general will Preferred a direct demcracy - Religius Views Cathlic But Tlerant - Educatin Purpse is t lead t self-reliance N frmal educatin until age 12 Empiricism Learn frm experience 5