Western Civ Exam II Flashcards
How did Emmanuel Kant define Enlightenment?
Liberation from self imposed tutelage.
What did Kant propose as a motto to the
Enlightenment?
“Sapere aude” Dare to Know
What three obstacles did most philosophers believed had to be overcome in the search for enlightenment?
Ignorance
Intolerance
Parochialism
Why were they so willing to attack the church (both Catholic and Protestant) and go beyond simply criticizing religious doctrines?
Most of the philosophers saw the church as an impediment
The church was an institution of gross injustice
“How many, some philosphes wondered, had been killed in the name of Christianity?”
And they saw a Europe filled with corruption and immorality. Some felt that the “American and African Savages and Chinese Heathens” possessed better morals.
Please examine at least two underlying assumptions of Enlightenment thinking?
- Better people = Better society
- Humans would use reason to reform societal evils
- Material improvement would bring moral improvement
- Laws governing human society would be discovered through application of the scientific method of inquiry
- Humanitarianism would remove inhumane practices and institutions
Why is Rene Descartes considered by many to be the founder of modern Western philosophy?
Educated at a Jesuit college where he excelled in math
He settled initially in Paris but moved to Holland. Discourse on Method (1637) - advocated universal doubt
Why did he even question something as
seemingly simple as the empirical truth of staring at his own hands and wondering if they were really his?
Descartes realized there is no test to prove with absolute certainty that at any given moment one is not dreaming “Anything that you can think, you can dream”
He resurrected Plato’s early belief that sense perception is to be doubted “It is not prudent ever to trust a known liar”
Please discuss the significance of Jean Jacques Rousseau. How did his background set him apart from most other philosophes?
The first modern writer who was “of the people”
Born in a poor family in Geneva, at the age of 16 he ran away. He saw Europe as a penniless vagabond and petty thief.
Quick-witted, he became a celebrity in Paris - supported by a succession of wealthy women
Analyze Rousseau’s ideas
about state creation. Who was the state created for and why?
“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying “This is mine,” and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society.”
The wealthy then developed “the profoundest plan that ever entered the mind of a man”
Enslave the working classes and have them be thankful for their status
As part of this Rousseaus “greatest hoax”, please discuss at last two ways in which this hoax is ingrained
into the masses.
Nationalism/Patriotism Religion Safety - We need protection from ourselves and other governments Education - a means of propaganda “Distractions”
Please examine two reforms advocated by Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire).
Religious Toleration (he was a Diest) Civil Rights (English model) - Checks and Balances Social Reform
Discuss Adam Smith’s contributions to economic
theory.
Until the 18th century, the concept of mercantilism held sway Now, philosophers condemned this system saying it was contrary to the “rules” of human behavior
Humans if freed from control will “astonish the world with the quantity, variety, and excellence of his products”
laissez faire “let him do”
The Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) His thesis: the greatest physical wealth results from the greatest economic liberty
Law of supply and demand
Discuss the political philosophy of John Locke.
What were his two central tenets?
Another product of Oxford, hailed from a Puritan, middle-class family. Locke saw people as essentially moral and law-abiding.
A firm believer in “Natural Law”
Doctrine of Natural Rights - All men (human beings) are created equal”
Social contract Theory - “Governments are instituted among men . . .”
Contrast the beliefs of Locke
with those of Thomas Hobbes. How did the latter arrive at his beliefs? Which argument do you think holds the most validity?
Hobbes believed every man for himself. Educated at Oxford with strong royalist connections (Locke was middle class)
Hobbes was a staunch advocate of absolutism
Hobbes wanted governmental powers concentrated in a single executive or ruling body
Hobbes thought all people are potentially equal and humans have essentially equal aspirations and material desires. This basic equality was the problem
Not everyone can attain them in a world of finite resources
It is “every man against every man”
Devolving governmental powers to the people would lead to gridlock, corruption and chaos.
Hobbes concerned with effective government; not legitimacy. Locke wanted democracy.
Hobbes’ book Leviathan (1651) - his greatest work (monster in the Bible: Job 41)
Who was Louis XIII’s trusted advisor? Please discuss two of his objectives.
Cardinal de Richelieu. Consolidate power and crush local factions.
