1. The Age of Enlightenment
17th and 18th centuries

2. The Enlightenment
Time period where thinkers tried to apply the principles of reason and science to all aspects of society
17th & 18th centuries
Height: 1750
Inspired by Scientific Revolution
Enlightenment Concepts
1. Reason: not accepting anything by faith (challenged the church)
2. Scientific method could discover the laws of human society as well as nature
3. Progress: Better societies could be created using these principles

3. Conflict with Religion
Many philosophers of the day were anti-religious, anti-absolutist & skeptics
Questioned religious truth (Could religious truth ever be known?)
Saw unity of religion as an absolutist ideal,- (believed in toleration)
Travel lit. provided evidence of other religions (Is one religion really right?)

4. The Philosophes French for “philosopher”- lover of wisdom
Enlightenment reached its height in France
French was the international language
Absolutism weakened after the death of Louis XIV
Philosophes asked the tough questions on God, meaning of life, human nature, and good vs. evil
The philosophes targeted the nobility
They were educated (could read)
Nobility were an audience for “enlightened” plays, novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.

5. Famous French Philosophes
Baron de Montesquieu
“separation of powers” (inspired USA)
Voltaire
Wrote over 70 novels, plays, etc.
In and out of jail due to critisizing govt.
Madame du Chatelet
Female philosophe
Faced sexism in a male dominated “industry”
Diderot & Jean le Rond d’Alembert
Wrote the first set of Encyclopedias
Catholic church banned the books

6. Diderot’s Encyclopedia
The Encyclopédie was the major achievement of the French Enlightenment whose aim, in Diderot's words, was to "change the common way of thinking" through the expansion of knowledge and the development of critical modes of thought. It took 20 years to compile, with more than 70,000 illustrated articles on subjects ranging from asparagus to the zodiac.

8. John Locke Early Enlightenment thinker (British)
Determined that all people are born with natural rights- life, liberty, and property.
If government is bad, it is your duty to rebel and overthrow it.
Inspired Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.
Believed that humans derive ideas from experience (tabula rasa, blank slate).

9. Later Enlightenment As the Enlightenment grew, so did its followers
Change began around 1770
The movement attracted new people with different perspectives, often extreme.
Thinkers challenged ideas of reason and progress
Jean Jacques Rousseau (Swiss)
Believed in individual freedom, the social contract, and the general will (inspired the USA and the Bill of Rights)
Baron d’Holbach
Was an atheist and believed that people are machines that are determined by outside forces
David Hume
Reason cannot always be proved true, so therefore you can not trust your ability to reason. Truth is only what can be verified

11. Spread of Ideas Book market grew during the era of Enlightenment
Some absolutist countries banned books
“Reading revolution”
Freedom of the press allowed in some places
Fredrick the Great, Prussia
French Salons
Enlightenment ideas were discussed by the elite and intellectuals…Madame Geoffrin
United intellectual and social elites

13. Enlightened Absolutism
Enlightened Despot: rulers who tried to justify their absolute rule by claiming to rule in the people’s interest by making good laws, promoting human happiness, and improving society
They were instructed by the philosophes
Late 18th century
A bit of an oxymoron

14. Examples of Enlightened Absolutism
Frederick the Great (Prussia)
-improved educational system
-got rid of torture of accused criminals
-allowed freedom of religion and press
Peter the Great (Russia)
-westernized Russia
-improved educational system

15. Catherine the Great German princess who led Russia -created hospitals
-codified Russian law
-brought “culture” to Russia
-allowed some religious tolleration
-improve education, local govt.
-sought territorial expansion
-Pugachev serf uprising (1773) led her to
reverse some reforms

16. More Examples… Maria Theresa (Austria) -est. national army
-limited the power of the Catholic Church
-revised the tax system
-improved ed. system
-limited the power of the lord over serfs
Joseph II (Austria)
-abolished serfdom
-tolerance of Calvinists and Lutherans
-eliminated restrictions placed on Jews
-abolished capital punishment