Age of Enlightenment: “found the light”, no longer in darkness or ignorance Isaac Newton: began the Age of Reason/Enlightenment

Improve how people live. Think clearly and logically, without letting feelings guide them. Use scientific reasoning to examine every part of society—education, religion, economics, law, and government.

Law of Gravitation showed two things: People can predict the movement of any falling object on Earth. People can predict the movement of the moon and the planets. He used reason, or thinking in a logical way.

logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas: problem or question from an observation form hypothesis, unproved assumption test hypothesis by experiment or data analyze and interpret results new conclusion either confirms or disproves the hypothesis Francis Bacon: believed scientists would improve people’s lives Rene Descartes: developed analytical geometry, linking algebra and geometry

Robert Boyle: founder of modern chemistry, Boyle’s Law—volume, temperature, and pressure of gas affect each other

Thomas Hobbes: an agreement by which people created government, the “social contract”; governments are needed to keep order, absolute monarchs keep people from fighting each other John Locke: criticized absolute monarchs and favored the idea of self-government; people are born with three natural rights—life, liberty, property; government should protect these rights John Locke

Voltaire: French thinker, brilliant, used satire against his opponents, “I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”; Free speech, free press, and religious freedom belonged to every person Montesquieu: French, political liberty, separation of powers Voltaire Rousseau: shared customs, traditions, and values=“the general will”

Denis Diderot: published a set of books containing all this new knowledge; spent 30 years working on 200 important thinkers wrote articles for the encyclopedia

Changing Idea: The Right to Govern Old IdeaNew Idea A monarch’s rule isA government’s power justified by divine rightcomes from the consent of the governed

Philosophes: the social critics of this period 1.Reason 2.Nature 3.Happiness 4.Progress 5.Liberty (page 172)

In a few decades, Enlightenment writers challenged long-held ideas about society. Divine right of monarchs, the union of church and state, and unequal social classes were all examined. They found these beliefs unreasonable.

The philosophes lived in a world of ideas. They were not revolutionaries. Their theories eventually inspired the American and French revolutions and other revolutionary movements in the 1800’s.

Belief in Progress: growth of scientific knowledge quickened new discoveries in chemistry, physics, biology, and mechanics confidence human reason could solve problems reformers urged an end to slavery arguments for more social equality and improvements in education through reason, a better society was possible

more worldly outlook people question their religious beliefs question teachings of the Church discovered mysteries could be explained mathematically some like Voltaire attacked the beliefs and practices of organized Christianity wanted to promote religious tolerance

rise of individualism urged people to use their ability to reason to judge right or wrong emphasized the importance of the individual in society government was formed by individuals to promote their welfare