Introduction to Enlightenment Period Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution

Renaissance  Cultural movement of intellectual inquiry  Literature, philosophy, art, politics, science, and religion  Printing Press

Reformation  Attempts to reform the Catholic Church and corruption  Led to formation of several Protestant denominations

Martin Luther  Identified sale of indulgences and clerical offices as corruption  Considered many sacred doctrines to be false or superstitious  Shocked by the licensing of brothels and tax on priests who kept a mistress  Lutheran Denomination

John Calvin  Helped spread Protestantism throughout Europe  Later to spread into the Americas  Calvinism and Presbyterian denominations

Scientific Revolution  New ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, anatomy, chemistry  Rejected old doctrines in science  Used reason and investigation to explain things rather than superstition and fear  Heliocentric, Scientific Method, and the application of mathematics

Scientific Method  Using reason and inquiry to investigate, acquire new knowledge, and to modify former knowledge  Collecting data and evidence to test a hypothesis  Used to document knowledge so that others can build on  Reduces bias and strengthens objectivity, thus credibility

Heliocentric Theory  Sun is center of universe and planets revolve around it  Replaced the geocentric theory  Copernicus - circle orbits  Kepler - elliptical orbits  Galileo - used telescope and math to observe and back the hypothesis

Reason and Inquiry  The Enlightenment Period will apply these same methods of thinking to:  Government  Absolute Power  Individual Rights

Enlightenment Period 17 th and 18 th Centuries

Characteristics of Enlightenment  Everything had a cause and effect  Rationalism – truth can be arrived at solely by reason, or rational, logical thinking  Reasoning to Solve Social Problems  Questioning of established ideas  Did not attack religion, but superstition  Disliked Absolute Monarchy  aka – Age of Reason

Philosophers  Published work in books, plays, pamphlets, newspapers, and “encyclopedias”  At this time (1700s), the educated wrote in French  Writings criticized the church, government, slave trade, torture, taxes, and war  Wrote in a questioning style

Philosophers  Thomas Hobbes - England  People enter into a social contract in which they exchange freedom and rights for security and order

Thomas Hobbes  Published the Leviathan  In the beginning, people lived in anarchy  Life is violent and dangerous  People choose a leader to rule them  People give Monarch absolute power  A social contract creates stability  People only have the right to protect themselves

Philosophers  John Locke - England  All people have natural rights  Life, liberty, and property  Government should protect those rights  Government power comes from the consent of the people

John Locke  Published Two Treatises of Government  People have made a social contract  But have kept:  The right to live  The right to enjoy liberty  The right to own property  Rulers must preserve these rights  If not, people have the right to overthrow such ruler and replace him for breaking the social contract

Philosophers  Baron de Montesquieu – France  Separation of powers among branches of government – Checks and Balances  Voltaire – France  Supported natural rights but felt that few people really had the ability to rule – freedom of religion and freedom of speech  Jean-Jacques Rousseau – France  Direct Democracy – but people should give up some of their freedom for the common good – all people are born equal

Baron de Montesquieu  Published The Spirit of the Laws  Promoted separation of powers  Legislative – makes the laws  Executive – administers the laws  Judicial – interprets and applies the laws  These powers should check each other  Will later influence the U.S. Constitution

 Montesquieu

Voltaire  French Philosopher  Spent time in prison  Published novel Candide  Ridicules oppressive government, prejudice, and bigotry  Later fought in cases of injustice, particularly against religious prejudice

 Voltaire

Jean-Jacques Rousseau  “History repeats itself”  Published The Social Contract  “People are born good, but environment, education, and laws corrupt them  Free and good people will only remain if governed by popular sovereignty  Choose government to live under

 Rousseau

Political Criticism  Political and Social Institutions should be changed to benefit everyone instead of just certain groups  Popular Sovereignty – laws and government created by and subject to the will of the people  Enlightened Despots – some Monarchs began to adopt Enlightenment philosophies and ruled with the respect of subject’s rights

Impacts on Future  Philosophers promoted nationalism and individual rights  Revolutions inspired by nationalistic ideas growing out of the Enlightenment  British Colonial America  Spanish Colonial America  France  Haiti