1. ENLIGHTENMENT
17th Century Europe

2. What is the ENLIGHTENMENT?
Replacing the obscurity, darkness
and ignorance of European thought
with the light of truth.

3. What are their main beliefs?
ENLIGHTENMENT
What are their main beliefs?
-Universe can be understood through the use of reason alone
-Truth can be arrived at through observation
-Human experience is the foundation for truth
-Human history is a history of progress
-Humans can improve through education
-Religious doctrines have no place in the physical world

4. Enlightenment Many of the enlightened thinkers of this age
believed in Deism and were Deists.
Deism—the universe could be explained in
non-religious terms. Religion they believed
should be a matter of private contemplation
than public worship.

5. Thomas Hobbes Important Dates 1588-1679. His main work was
Leviathan (1651)

6. Thomas Hobbes Leviathan It spoke of human nature
and the fact that people
are in constant conflict
with their fellow man so
they must be restrained.
He believed that
SELFISHNESS motivates
all human beings.
Is that necessarily true?

7. Thomas Hobbes When he applied science to politics he
arrived at two conclusions:
All monarchs rule not by the consent of heaven,
but by the consent of the people.
People grant the king or queen absolute
power to maintain law and order. They give
up freedom for security.

8. John Locke Important Dates (1632-1704) His two main works were
An Essay Concerning
Human Understanding
&
Two Treasties Of
Government

9. John Locke An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)
It spoke about
psychology and human
cognition. Two important
beliefs were:
Tabula Rasa and
Empirical Knowledge

10. John Locke Tabula Rasa--clean, blank slate. All humans
are born with no preformed ideas.
Empirical Knowledge--the only kind of
Knowledge, the best.

11. John Locke Two Treatises of Government (1690) Government and
authority are based
on Natural Rights:
Life
Liberty and
Property

12. John Locke
All individuals are equal, inequality unnatural. Absolute power is an unnatural development in human history. As result government and authority should protect natural law, If not the people should overthrow the ruler.

13. Baron de Montesquieu Significant dates (1689-1755)
Main Work The Spirit
of Laws 1748
Relativism analyzing
governments in relation
to customs, religion and
commerce of various
countries

14. Baron de Montesquieu
Political liberty requires checks on those who hold power in a state. Liberty can thrive with a balance of powers meaning separation of powers: legislative, executive and judicial.

15. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Dates ( )
Works
Emile: Treatise on
Education (1762)
and
The Social Contract
(1762)

16. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Emile: Treatise on Education Addressing one of the values of the Enlightenment, education. Story of a young boy raised by his adult tutor. The tutor stressed experience over book learning.

17. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract (1762)
Individuals have a role in making the law to
which they submit.
He does not want majority rule but he is
seeking consensus (compromise) to the
best interest of all citizens.
He calls this the general will—an individual
ultimately must do what one ought to do not
simply what one wants to do.

18. Voltaire
Dates ( )
Work:
The Philosophical
Dictionary

19. Voltaire
Quotes from Voltaire