1. Enlightenment in Europe

2. Enlightenment Enlightenment
Movement where people apply reason and science to all aspects of society

3. Cause and Effect—America & Europe
Causes
Religious Fanaticism
Witch trials
Beginning of a merchant class—aka bourgeoisie
Landed Aristocracy
Monarchies
Church & State united
Church = Truth
Effects
Deism—”natural law”
Rise of merchant class—aka bourgeoisie
Science/Logic/Reason = Truth
Rise of philosophers
Revolution x 3
The “perfect” society
Separation of Church & State
Democracy

4. The Enlightenment
Enlightened thinkers believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny and to build a better world.
Principal targets: Religion and the domination of society by hereditary aristocracy. In other words, the church and the state, who often worked hand-in-hand.

5. The Enlightenment—Early Forms
Renaissance Humanists (14th & 15th cent.)
Argued that proper worship of God involved admiration of his creation, notably His crown of creations: humanity.
Celebrating humans worships God better than gloomy priests who preached original sin and repentance
Galileo Galilei (1632)
Used logic and observation to argue that earth rotates around sun
The Church (possessor of Truth) forced him to recant, objecting that Bible clearly stated that the sun moved through the sky.
Led to the advancement of science—Isaac Newton

6. The Enlightenment—17th Century
Enlightenment philosophers combined logic and reason
Logic: formal logic is the process(es) by which an argument can be determined as valid or not. An argument is valid if the premises are all true, then the conclusion must also be true.
Example: All humans have heart. Tom is a human. Therefore, Tom has a heart.
Reason: Enlightenment thinkers stated that it consisted of common sense, observation, and their own unacknowledged prejudices in favor of skepticism and freedom.

7. The Enlightenment—17th Century
The 17th century scene: Dogma & Fanaticism
Witch-hunts and wars of religion
Protestants & Catholics denounced each other as followers of Satan
People imprisoned for attending wrong church
All publications censored by church and state
Slavery widely practiced, defended by religious leaders
Despotism of monarchs=“divine right of kings”
Any opposition was imprisoned or executed
Reason and Logic had no room for these matters

8. The Enlightenment—17th Century
The 17th century scene: Dogma & Fanaticism
Witch-hunts and wars of religion
Protestants & Catholics denounced each other as followers of Satan
People imprisoned for attending wrong church
All publications censored by church and state
Slavery widely practiced, defended by religious leaders
Despotism of monarchs=“divine right of kings”
Any opposition was imprisoned or executed
Reason and Logic had no room for these matters

9. Deism
The word "Deism" is derived from the Latin word for God: "Deus." Deism involves the belief in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority.
Deists:
Do not accept the belief of most religions that God revealed himself to humanity through the writings of the Bible, the Qur'an or other religious texts.
Disagree with strong Atheists who assert that there is no evidence of the existence of God.

10. Deism
Deists regard their faith as a natural religion, as contrasted with one that is revealed by a God or which is artificially created by humans. They reason that since everything that exists has had a creator, then the universe itself must have been created by God. Thomas Paine concluded a speech shortly after the French Revolution with: "God is the power of first cause, nature is the law, and matter is the subject acted upon."
Thomas Paine on Deism:

11. Two Views on Government: Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes wrote a book called Leviathan
All people are selfish and wicked
Without government there would be chaos
People agree to a social contract
People give up some rights to have law and order
Best government is an absolute monarchy
Keeps order and demands obedience

12. Two Views on Government: John Locke
Wrote Two Treatises of Government
People learn from experience and can improve themselves
Favors the idea of self-governance
All people are born free with THREE natural rights
Life, liberty and property
Government must protect these or the people must overthrow it

13. Applying Reason
Philosophers in France believed could apply reason to all aspects of life in five ways
Reason
Truth can be discovered through logical reason
Nature
There are natural laws governing all beings
Happiness
Those that are patient and follow nature’s laws are happy
Progress
Human society can be perfected and improved
Liberty
Society needs to be set free and have equality

14. Voltaire Published 70 books on politics, philosophy and history
Made fun of any government and church official because of their ignorance
Put in jail twice for this and fled Paris for views
Fought for toleration, religious freedom and freedom of speech

15. Montesquieu and Separation of Powers
French Baron who studied political liberty
Book wrote called On Spirit of Laws
Believed Britain was best governed because of separation of powers
Keeps one individual or group from having too much power
Later called “checks and balances”

16. Rousseau: Champion of Freedom
Said civilization corrupts people’s natural goodness
Born free but is put in chains everywhere
Only good government is a direct democracy
People give up some rights for greater good
Wrote book called the Social Contract
Agreement of people to create a government and no nobility

17. Beccaria Promotes Social Justice
Italian philosopher
Believed laws existed to keep order not punish crimes
Wrote On Crimes and Punishments
Against torture and punishments that were absurd
For speedy trials and punishments fit the crime

18. Impact of Enlightenment
Helped scientists find new innovations to help society
Promoted reforms
No slavery
Women’s rights
More questioning of religion with scientific explanations
Promoted the idea of the individual
Figure out for yourself right and wrong through reason