1. Chapter 6 Section 2 The Enlightenment in Europe
Objective: Analyze the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers & the impact of these ideas
Vocabulary: Enlightenment, Social Contract, John Locke, Philosophe, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, & Mary Wollstonecraft
What are some responsibilities you have as citizens in the United States?
What are some responsibilities that the governmental officials have?

2. Setting the Stage
Scholars & philosophers sought new insight into the underlying beliefs regarding government, religion, economics, & education
Enlightenment: 18th century European movement in which thinkers attempt to apply the principles of reason & the scientific method to all aspects of society
It is also known as the Age of Reason
Thomas Hobbes & John Locke were political thinkers who came to different conclusions about government & human nature
Scientific Revolution influenced philosophers to questions the way societies function
Who are some Scientist or inventions we learned about during the Scientific Revolution?

3. Hobbes’s Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes believed that all humans were naturally selfish & wicked
He believed that without a government to keep order life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, & short
Hobbes believed in a social contract (agreement by which people define & limit their individual rights; creating an organized society)
He agreed with an absolute monarchy, which could impose order & demand obedience
He was living in England at the time during the English Civil War
The English Civil War was between King Charles I & who?
People need a ruler with total power to keep citizens under control

4. Locke’s Natural Rights
John Locke believed that people could learn from experience & improve themselves
Locke believed all people are born free & equal with 3 natural rights (life, liberty, & property)
Government needs to protect those rights & if it doesn’t citizens have the right to overthrow it
Locke’s theory had a deep influence on modern political thinking
What is something you have done wrong in the past & learned from that experience?
He believed people had the natural ability to govern their own affairs
Locke hated the idea of absolute monarchs & favored self governing

5. The Philosophes Advocate Reason
Philosophes – group of social thinkers in Paris, France during the Enlightenment
They believed in 5 core concepts
Reason: truth could be discovered through reason or logical thinking
Nature: what was natural was also good & reasonable
Happiness: people should seek well- being on earth
Progress: society & humankind could improve
Liberty: liberties in society
Paris became the meeting place for people who wanted to discuss politics & ideas
French word for philosophers

6. Voltaire Combats Intolerance
Voltaire published 70 books of political essays, philosophy, & drama
He made enemies with the French court & was sent to prison
Voltaire never stopped fighting for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, & freedom of speech
“I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it”
He often wrote poorly of the French clergy, aristocracy, & government
He was exiled to England for 2 years

7. Montesquieu & the Separation of Powers
Baron de Montesquieu devoted himself to the study of political liberty
He believe that Britain was the best-governed & politically balanced country
Montesquieu proposed that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government
Provided the basis of checks & balances in the United States
What kind of government does England have?
Who is the power shared between?
How is our government divided?

8. Rousseau Champion of Freedom
Jean Jacques Rousseau was passionately committed to individual freedom
Rousseau believed that the social contract was an agreement among free individuals to create a society & a government
He argued that all people were equal & that titles of nobility should be abolished
He was a son of a poor Swiss watchmaker
People give up some of their freedom in favor of the common good

9. Beccaria Promotes Criminal Justice
Beccaria believed that laws existed to preserve social order & not to avenge crimes
He believed that people should receive a speedy trial & torture should never be used
Beccaria believed the degree of punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime
He wanted capital punishment to be abolished.
What is capital punishment?

10. Women & the Enlightenment
Women writers tried to improve the status of women
Women used enlightenment arguments about government to criticize the unequal relationship between men & women
Mary Wollstonecraft argued with Rousseau & also urged women to enter fields of medicine & politics
Rousseau believed women should be learning how to be a good wife & mother
However, some men did argue to improve women’s status
Why would men hesitate to give women education & equality under the law?
“if all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves”

11. Legacy of the Enlightenment
Philosophes formed & popularized new theories
However, they were not active revolutionaries
Enlightenment thinking produced long-term effects that helped shape Western civilization
The belief in progress gave people the confidence that human reason could solve social problems
Reformers also urged for greater social equality
What do you think they wanted to change to encourage social equality?

12. A More Secular Outlook
The Enlightenment paved the way for the rise of a more secular or non-religious outlook
People believed the mysteries of the world could be explained mathematically
A major outcome of the Enlightenment was encouraging people to use their own ability to reason in order to judge what was right or wrong