Ch. 17 - The Enlightenment 1648 -1815 Flashcards
Enlightenment
DEF: 1700s intellectual movement led by philosophers that stressed application of reason & scientific method to all aspects of life
SIG: -proper means to examine/understand physical real materials, crucial to evolution of science in modern world
-standardized approach so scientists could conduct experiments in standardized manners –> experiments more widespread
-helped combat excesses of church, estab. science as source of knowledge, representative & defends human rights against tyranny –> modern schooling, medicine, repubs, democracies etc
Deism
DEF: belief in God as creator of universe & after creating it ceased to have any direct involvement & let it run according to nature’s laws
SIG: -suggested existence of mechanic who created universe
-insisted religious truth should be subject to authority of human reason rather than divine revelation
-attempted to define natural world & man’s relationship to God thru application of Enlightenment ideals such as reason, rationality, & order
Laissez-faire
DEF: “let (them) do (as they please)”; economic doctrine that holds an economy is best served when gov. doesn’t interfere but lets economy self regulate according to forces of supply & demand
SIG: -gov not included w/regulation of economy
-laid foundation for what became known in 1800s as Economic liberalism
–> Adam Smith: opposed mercantilism tariffs (better to purchase than produce product), labor is true wealth of nation, & no state interference
–>Assigned gov 3 basic functions: protect society from invasion (army), defend individuals from injustice/oppression (police) & keep up public works like roads/canals 4 ppl
Economic Liberalism
DEF: gov. should not interfere w/workings of economy
SIG: -emphasized economic liberty of individual
-supports broad tradition of individual liberties & constitutionally-limited & democratically accountable government
Romanticism
DEF: 1800s intellectual &artistic movement that rejected emphasis on reason of Enlightenment –> instead stressed importance of intuition, feeling, emotion & imagination as source of knowing
SIG: dominated Europe @ beginning of 1800s
Central Concepts of the Enlightenment
-Methods of natural science should be used to understand all aspects of life - thru use of REASON
-Bernard de Fontenelle→ popularizes science; literature,more 4 common ppl
-Pierre Bayle’s work has evident religious skepticism & growing secularization, argued 4 complete religious tolerance b/c benefits state
-Discover the natural laws of human society as well as the natural world (“social science”)
-The idea of progress - The confidence in human power, human reason to improve society
-Skepticism: questioning religious truths & values
-Beginning to shift away from religion (more private); growing secularism
-Rejection of superstition and tradition
-Cultural relativism: travel & exposure to other cultures and ideas
-Tolerance and equality
-Deism - God does not intervene in the world through miracles; he created the world, and then removed himself from it
Immanuel Kant
-Scottish philosophers Dare to Know became motto for Enlightenment
-Idea that individuals can learn & understand world around them thru reason & education
-Ability of every person to think for themselves rather than obeying old ideas
-Mind held categories of understanding and could
-“Man leaving his self-caused immaturity”
-“Use one’s intelligence without the guidance of another”
-“Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence”
-reason, natural law, hope, progress
John Locke (1632-1704)
-Especially influential to philosophes
-Denied Descartes’ belief in innate ideas
-“Tabula rasa”, blank mind on which environment & reason could generate thought
-Natural rights
Isaac Newton (1642-1726/7)
-“Greatest and rarest genius that ever rose for the ornament and instruction of the species”
-Inspired by his natural laws of the universe/nature
-Natural laws could be discovered for society also –> Rules of politics, economics, justice, religion, arts
Philosophes: Charles de Secondat (baron de Montesquieu) (1689-1755)
-Persian Letters (1721):
*Criticize French institutions; Catholic church & monarchy
*Program of the Enlightenment
*Attack on traditional religion & advocacy for religious toleration
*Denunciation of slavery
*Use of reason to liberate humans from prejudices
-The Spirit of the Laws (1748)
*Applied scientific method to politics to discover “natural laws” of governing social relationships of human
*3 types of government: 1) republic, small states 2) monarchy, middle-states, 3) despotism, large-states; uses fear
*Praised England (middle-state)
*Checks & balances, separation of powers
Philosophes: Montesquieu (1689-1755)
-Often seen as leading thinker of the Enlightenment
-Set the stage for Enlightenment in Persian letters & set stage government/political changes in the Spirit of the Laws
-Separation of power was based on misinterpretation of English system (that there was equal/shared power between legislative, executive, and judicial branch)
-insisted on separation of powers b/c he wanted nobility of France to play an active role in running the govt. (was a noblemen)
-Very influential in American Revolution & founding of the US.
Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) (1694-1778)
-Greatest figure of Enlightenment
-Philosophic Letters on the English (1733)
*Praised freedoms & toleration in England
*Freedom of press, political freedom, religious toleration
*Criticized France (royal absolutism, lack of religious toleration & freedom of thought)
-Expressed many of the grievances of the middle class
-Popularized Deism: god as engineer of world machine, left it to run by its own natural laws
Calas affair
-most famous example of Voltaire defending/fighting for religious tolerations.
-Calas was Protestant who was accused of murdering his own son to prevent him from becoming Catholic, tortured into confession he died
-Voltaire was outraged & published a series of broadsides (like a poster/historical poster/announcement) that aroused public opinion & forced a retrial where Calas was exonerated
-Brought more appeal to his calls for religious tolerance
Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784)
-The Encyclopedia: a compilation of all knowledge! ; changed gen. way of thinking –> weapon 4 French philosophes against French society
-Atheism: world better explained by science –> The Skeptic’s Walk (1747) & Letter on the Blind (1749)
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) (late Enlightenment)
-Society is artificial & corrupt - state of nature is better
-Valued impulse & emotion more than reason
-Believed in contract government &individual freedom
*Inspired by Locke’s ideas of a contract between people & gov.
*Believed that the contract, once established represented best of collective society & that people should be willing to obey contract in order to promote general will (well being) of community
-“General Will” - republic as ideal gov.
-People needed to give state unconditional obedience because it represented the General Will –> planted the seeds for dictators.
