 The Enlightenment stressed that Reason could cure mankind of all past injustices.  In such a new world a perfect society was almost insured.  Through reason man could discover the Natural Laws that regulated society.

 The roots of the movement were found in France and England.  Soon it spread to Scotland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and even the New World.  But more importantly, it demonstrated French domination of the cultural scene.

 French was the mode of communication.  The Salons of Paris help spread the ideas of the Enlightenment.  The Encyclopedie served as a tool to spread the ideas of the movement.  French was the language of diplomacy too.

 It was edited by Denis Diderot ( ).  First published in  Included articles by Montesquieu, Rouseau, Voltaire, Turgot, Candorcet, and Quesnay.  Not everyone liked it, including Louis XV, the Printers, and the Church.

 The intellectuals who adopted this position were called Philosophes.  Not all of them were French.  The philosophes were social critics, publicists, political scientists, economists, and social reformers.

 This was the work of Alexander Pope who believed that it was the best of all possible worlds.  Not everyone agreed.  Once such person was Voltaire.  Voltaire did this in a satire called Candide.  While others agreed with Voltaire, for the most part, the age was overly optimistic.

 They attacked laws, institutions, and practices…. Everything that they considered to be unreasonable or unnatural.  The Philosophes believed that the people were able to make the changes that would make life better.

 The American Revolution was a model.  Particularly The Declaration of Independence.  The Declaration stressed “The Pursuit of Happiness” was a fundamental human right which was on par with “Life and Liberty.”  The view people could possibly obtain these rights was revolutionary.  This was a clear departure from the Middle Ages.

 He sought to find a universal mathematical formula that would explain everything.  Methodological Principles  Systematic Doubt.  Logical analysis.  Strict progression of synthesis.  Careful review of procedures.  Conclusion.

 Newton is important for his work in:  Optics  Light  Gravity  Mathematics  But more important was his work on the Social Order of the Universe

 Newton’s Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy was published in Latin in  He said the whole universe worked according to fixed laws.  Those laws were Natural Laws.  He saw the world as a great mechanical work of God.

 He wrote a treatise on the defense of England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688 called Two Treatises of Government.  In the Second Treatise he noted men are free, equal, and independent.  People submit to government because they find it convenient not because of a divine right of the monarchy.  People make a compact or contract with the government to be governed. (social contract)

 He denied that people submit to authority from birth.  Locke believed that the newborn mind was tabula Rasa, a blank slate.  In other words, environment and reason were more important than heredity and faith.

 Thomas Hobbes ( ) had a different view.  He believed that man was driven to government by the fear of extinction.  He supported absolute monarchy.  His main work was Leviathan (1651).

 Human beings were naturally good but corrupted by civilized life.  Live closer to nature  The Social Contract  Agreement between the governed and the government as basis for society.