Section 6-2 The Enlightenment in Europe

Setting the Stage Because of the new ways of thinking that were prompted by the Scientific Revolution, scholars began to reevaluate old notions about other aspects of society

The Enlightenment A new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems Government, education, religion, and, economics were all aspects of society that scholars sought to change

Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan Said that man was inherently evil and they needed a strong government to maintain peace The trade off of individual rights in exchange for law and order is called the Social Contract

John Locke Believed that people could learn from experience and improve themselves Said that all people were born with 3 natural rights (life, liberty, and property) The government’s job is to protect these rights

The Philosophes Social critics in France Believed that reason could be applied to all aspects of life

Core Beliefs Five concepts formed the core of their beliefs Reason-truth through reason Nature-natural was good Happiness-seek well being in this life Progress-society can improve Liberty-called for liberties for the people

Voltaire Philosophe who used satire to target aristocrats, religious leaders, and the government Believed in tolerance, reason, freedom of speech and religious beliefs

Baron de Montesquieu Created the ideas of separation of powers in government He thought that this would keep any one branch of government from gaining too much power

Rousseau and Beccaria Jean J. Rousseau-advocated individual freedom, he said that the government should be formed by free thinking people Cesare Beccaria-advocated changes in the Judicial system (right to speedy trial, end to torture, cruel punishments, punishment fit the crime.

Mary Wollstonecraft Said that women deserved equal education Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in which she disagreed with many male scholars on the issue of women’s education

Challenged Principles Enlightenment thinkers challenged such things as divine right, the union of church and state, and the existence of unequal social classess

Legacy of the Enlightenment Long term effects A belief in progress led to discoveries in all aspects of society Society and the world were viewed in a more secular or non- religious outlook Brought about the rise of individualism-belief that one can depend on themselves and not the church or nobels