THE ENLIGHTENMENT The Age of Reason 17 th – 18 th Century Europe

Philosophical Concepts Reason: truth through reason or logical thinking Nature: anything natural was also good and reasonable Happiness: live by nature (nature’s laws); find happiness Progress: society and mankind can be perfect (through the use of scientific approach) Liberty: through reason society could be set free

Philosophers Thomas Hobbes Wrote Leviathan (1651) in which he expressed his views that all humans were naturally selfish and wicked; without governments to keep order there would be “war of every man against every man.” Social Contract: people limit their individual rights creating a government with a powerful ruler The best government was that of an absolute ruler, an absolute monarch!

John Locke He held a more positive view of human nature; he believed people could learn from experience and improve themselves As reasonable beings, people had the natural ability to govern themselves and look out for the welfare of society Favored the idea of self-government and criticized absolute monarchies All people have three NATURAL RIGHTS: Life, Liberty, and Property

Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) One of the most brilliant and influential philosophes (philosopher); he published more than 70 political essays, philosophy, history, fiction, and drama. As a writer he used satire against opponents; he enraged the French King and Catholic bishops; he was threatened, imprisoned, and exiled, but never stopped fighting for freedoms. He fought for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech.

Baron de Montesquieu Influential French writer, aristocrat, lawyer, and devotee to the study of political liberty. Governments should have a separation of powers: division of power among different branches of government. Separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government; this “should be a check to power.” Each branch of government would serve as a check on the other two; later this would be called “checks and balances.” Separation of powers and checks and balances became the basis for the U.S. Constitution.

Jean Jacques Rousseau Passionately committed to individual freedoms Civilization corrupted people’s natural goodness. Originally, people lived as free and equal individuals in a primitive “state of nature.” As people became civilized, the strong forced everyone else to obey unjust laws. Freedom and equality were destroyed. Only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society–a direct democracy. People give up some freedoms for the general good. Social contract: an agreement among free individuals to create a society and a government.

Cesare Bonesana Becceria He believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes. Wrote the book Crimes and Punishments. Complained/argued against the common abuses of government: Torturing of witnesses and suspects, irregular proceedings at trial and punishments that were arbitrary and cruel He thought persons accused of a crime should receive a speedy trial, and torture should never be used. Punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime, and capital punishment should be abolished. Governments should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Women and the Enlightenment Many philosophes (philosophers) took a traditional view toward women: wife/mother, others scolded women for reading books because they thought it encourages idleness and wickedness However, some writers argued for more education for women and women’s equality in marriage. Mary Astell published A Serious Proposal to the Ladies wherein she addressed the lack of educational opportunities for women; later she used Enlightenment arguments about government to criticize the unequal relationship between men and women in marriage.

Women and the Enlightenment (continued) Mary Wollstonecraft published an essay called A Vindication of the Rights of Women in She argued that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful. Women should not only become nurses but should be able to become doctors. Women should have the right to participate in politics. Emilie du Chatelet was an aristocrat and trained as a mathematician and physicist. She translated Isaac Newton’s work from Latin into French which helped stimulate interest in science.

Group Assignment: Enlightenment Thinkers Press Conference