Download Enlightenment - Miami Arts Charter School

The 18th Century
Enlightenment
Created by David Silverman
What is the Enlightenment?

Immanuel Kant (1724- 1804) a German philosopher
defined the answer by saying 'Dare to know'...meaning it
was necessary for individuals to cast off those ideas of the
past that had been accepted simply because of tradition
(or intellectual laziness)

He urged people to use their own reason to challenge these
previously accepted ideas and to question everything about
mankind.

The ultimate reward, Kant stated, would be something all previous
generations lacked- freedom. Freedom from political and religious
realms.

This freedom would lead to writers of the Enlightenment period
casting doubt on such ancient human practices such as slavery.
The Enlightenment

Traditionally associated with France, where they use the
term philosophes to describe thinkers of the age.

Philosophes were not organized in any formal groups. They usually
gathered for informal meetings in salons (discussion groups lead by
wealthy women)


They also hung around printshops to produce pamphlets
"Republic of Letters"-an international community of
writers, communicating in French. Extending throughout
much of western Europe and the American colonies...

The role of the Enlightenment was significant in the founding of the U.S.

Because the U.S constitution has been a model for other nations around
the globe, it's safe to say that Enlightenment thinkers changed the world.

The early Enlightenment was rooted in the Scientific Revolution (lead by
influence in Great Britain)
Writers of the Enlightenment

John Locke- wrote the piece "Essay Concerning Human
Understanding" stating that an individual is born as a blank slate. He
used this to argue why all humans need equal rights and how
important education is.

Locke believed that all humans deserve life, liberty, and property.
His writings greatly influenced the 18th century Enlightenment.

He also believed that there needed to be a contract between a
ruler and a ruler's subjects.

Locke's influence lead to other writers. While Locke was progressive
for his time, he still didn't see how America could grant freedom to
slaves and still function.

Writers such as Voltaire and David Hume would offer a powerful
challenge to religion.

Writers like Adam Smith wrote about economic thought.
Writers of the Enlightenment: VOLTAIRE
Voltaire (1694-1778): one of the greatest philosophes, he was educated by
Jesuits but he hated the Catholic Church. He didn't respect the bigotry and
narrowness, and believed that people needed to take care of 'their own
garden' instead of rely on an institution. Voltaire was an intellectual
celebrity across Europe. 'Candide' was one of his most famous works.


Voltaire, like many of his contemporaries, was a deist- one who
believes that God created the universe and then stepped back from
creation to allow it to operate under the laws of science.

His famous anti-religion slogan "Ecrasez l'infame!"/"Crush the horrible
thing!"
Voltaire also wrote poetry and drama. After taking a life changing trip to
England Voltaire noticed that the English had religious freedom, and
freedom to print, which the French didn't have.

He also noticed the respect the English gave their scientists (during
Newton's funeral)

Voltaire believed that the English allowed for happier individuals and
wanted this in his own land of France.
Writers of the Enlightenment: MONTESQUIEU

Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)- wrote
the most influential work during the Enlightenment- Spirit of the Laws
(1748) which touched on the government branches
 Montesquieu
wrote of the English separation of powers and checks
and balances.
 Montesquieu
was the president of a body of nobles that functioned
as the province's law court.

Like Voltaire, Montesquieu was inspired by the political system in Great
Britain.
 While
he was still conservative, he believed that France needed
to limit the royal absolutism.
 His
previous work 'Persian Letters' was a critique of France
through satire.

Montesquieu was anti-slavery and believed slavery was against natural
law
Writers of the Enlightenment: DIDEROT

The Encyclopedia is the brainchild of Denis Diderot (1713-1784)
 The
Encyclopedia was one of the greatest collaborative efforts of
the Enlightenment, created by the scholars in the Republic of
Letters.
 It
exemplifies the 18th century belief that all knowledge could be
organized in a scientific manner.
 The
Encyclopedia spread ideas of the Enlightenment beyond Francecopies were sent to America, Russia and Scandinavia.
 Thomas
Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin purchased their own
copies.

In France, the Encyclopedia and Diderot were seen as being critical of
the monarchy. In Italy, it was thought to be a slight attack on religion.
 Ironically,
Diderot had to turn to the throne for copyright protection
when printers started to sell pirated copies.
Writers of the Enlightenment: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a deeply troubled, solitary
man who often antagonized other philosophes. He was often thought to
be the most radical of the philosophes.
 Voltaire hated Rousseau's championing of emotion over reason
 Unlike most of the philosophes, who believed in a constitutional
monarchy as the best form of government, Rousseau believed in
the creation of a direct democracy.
 While his work was not wildly read while he was alive, right after his
death his works became popular. Many of the leading participants in
the French Revolution studied Rousseau's work.
 He helped stage the Romantic Movement in the late 18th and 19th
centuries. His novel Emile, touched on reason vs emotion. Rousseau
also wrote about the difference between children and adults.
 Rousseau's greatest achievement, The Social Contract (1762) begins
with the classic line "All men are born free, but they are in chains".
Rousseau believed that human potential alone could not change quality
of life. He believed that reforming the overall community was also
imperative and that this would lead to general will of the populace
being more important than the personal will of a ruler.

The Spread of Enlightenment Thought

GERMANY: The greatest figure of the German Enlightenment,
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) argued against the idea that all
knowledge was empirical.


In Critique of Pure Reason (1781) he wrote that the mind shapes
the world through its unique experiences.
ITALY: Cesare Beccaria (1738- 1794) called for an overhaul in the area
of jurisprudence in his work On Crimes and Punishment. It was clear
to Beccaria that those accused of perpetrating crimes should also be
allowed basic rights.

Torture, capital punishment, and other ways to get those to admit
guilt were often used

Beccaria's work had an overall theme of humanitarianism. This
lead to everything from a a push to end flogging in the British
army, to better treatment of animals.
The Spread of Enlightenment Thought

SCOTLAND: one of the most vibrant intellectual centers of the 18th century. Three
philosophers had work with the most influence...

David Hume (1711-1776)- pushed the thinking of many of the French deists and went
directly into the world of atheism. In Inquiry into Human Nature, Hume casts doubt on
religion and argued that no empirical evidence supported the miracles that stood at the
heart of Christian tradition.

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)- reflected the growing interest in History that was first seen
during the Enlightenment with Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His
works criticized Christianity in that he viewed the rise of Christianity within the Roman
Empire as a social phenomenon rather than divine intervention. Gibbons also thought
that Christianity weekend the vibrancy of the Empire and caused its fall.

Adam Smith (1723-17902)- was a professor who made an impact on economic thought.
He published, Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations- in which
he argued against mercantilism (tariffs, navigation acts, monopolies) in Europe.

Smith became associated with Lasissez-faire (literally meaning to 'leave alone' and he argued
that individuals should be left to be free to pursue economic gain without being restricted by
the invisible hand of the government.

Smith's thinking lead to supply and demand thought, and proved influential for both the
Manchester School of economists in England and the Physiocrats in France.
Women and the Enlightenment

Most Parisian salons were organized by women. At times, these wealthy and
aristocratic individuals would use their social and political connections to help
philosophes avoid trouble with authority.

Surprisingly enough, while these women helped the philosophes- not many of these
male thinkers were advocates for women's rights.

Some were more sympathetic to women's issues than others. Montesquie included
some discussion on the restrictive nature of the Eastern harem that touched on
criticism of the treatment on women in western Europe.

Rousseau on the other hand believed that women and men were in different
spheres and should not be granted equal rights.

While women and women's conditions/rights were hardly mentioned in the
Encyclopedia, it might have never made it to the public without the aide of
Marquise de Pompadour (Louis XV's mistress)- who played a critical role in
helping Diderot avoid censorship.

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) an Englishwoman who wrote in her
Vindication of the Rights of women that women should be able to vote and
hold public office. She was the first to openly publish such statements.
European Powers in the Age of
Enlightenment

The 18th century witnessed a number of significant developments for
the European nation-states. Two major powers, Prussia and Russia,
emerged over the course of the century.

The century would also be noteworthy for the fact that monarchs
started to use ideas from the writings of the French philosophes.

Rulers such as Catherine the Great (Russia), Joseph II (Austria),
and Frederick II (Prussia), are referred to as "Enlightenment
Absolutists" They safely toy with the ideas of the philosophes
without threatening their own power.

They could use these ideas on economic and education to enhance
their own states. Enlightenment Absolutists also could remove
elements in society like other nobility or the Church (that might
have been previously standing their way)
References and Resources

Resources

The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
Compared


Deism


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ZOGHOcxX8
&list=PLfzs_X6OQBOxudwbxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ&index=38
Voltaire on Religion


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drgsZc8Gjb8&i
ndex=36&list=PLfzs_X6OQBOxudwbxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RNe9TG3Cw
&index=39&list=PLfzs_X6OQBOxudwbxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ
Enlightenment Rap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWkjihcnZ8g&
index=37&list=PLfzs_X6OQBOxudwbxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ

References

This PowerPoint presentation was
adapted using information from
the Princeton Review’s Cracking
The AP European History Exam
Pearl, Kenneth. Cracking the AP
European History Exam, 2016. New
York: Random House, 2015. Print.