The Enlightenment Chapter 6

Beliefs of the Enlightenment 1. A new intellectual movement that stressed reason, thought, and the power of individuals to solve problems 2. Enlightenment grows out of the Scientific Revolution 3. They used reason to discover physical laws, why not natural laws? –o Natural laws are laws that govern human nature –o People came to believe that the individual (read not God) could solve every social, political, and economic problem

Enlightened Thinkers Philosophes- French for Philosophers Believed in: 1.Reason Truth through logical thinking 2.Nature Natural was good and reasonable 3.Happiness Reject medieval of joy in the hereafter, seek joy now 4.Progress Society and humankind can improve 5.Liberty Liberties that the English people won in their Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights

Thomas Hobbes Wrote Leviathan(1651)- people are cruel, greedy, and selfish –They should sign a Social Contract — to avoid chaos — people give up freedom to gov ’ t that ensures order –Government must be strong and able to suppress rebellion

John Locke Two Treatises of Government — people have natural rights: life, liberty, and property –People can learn from their mistakes –Natural ability to govern themselves –Work for a better society

Montesquieu Spirits of Laws (1748)— protected from tyranny by government w/divided power –Legislature, executive, and judicial — best way to protect liberty Checks and balances –Basis for U.S. Government

Voltaire Voltaire—influential philosophe, pen name of François Marie Arouet( ) Publishes many works arguing: -For tolerance, reason, free speech, freedom of religion -Against censorship, inequality, injustice, slave trade, religious prejudice, corrupt or lazy or incompetent officials Makes powerful enemies (church and Government) and is imprisoned twice for his views, exiled to England

Diderot Encyclopedia — large set of books to which scholars contributed articles –Articles upset the French gov ’ t and Catholic Church — their censors banned it

Rousseau Social Contract (1762) –People are generally good, corrupted by society –Individuals give up self-interest for common good –Individuals should be subordinate to the community –inspires leaders of French Revolution

Enlightened Despots Monarchs who embraced new ideas and made reforms that reflected the Enlightenment spirit

Frederick the Great Frederick II, king of Prussia –Granted religious freedoms, improved education, reformed justice system –Ended serfdom –Considered himself “ the first servant of the state ”

Catherine the Great Catherine II, ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796 –Based reforms on the writings of Montesquieu and Beccaria –Gave nobles rights, was against serfdom –Serfs revolt, she crushes them, then kept serfdom to keep noble support –Expanded Russia westward into Poland

Joseph II Joseph II of Austria, 1780 – 1790 –Legal reform, freedom of the press/worship, ends serfdom –All of his changes are gone after his death