The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment

Into the LightInto the Light

The EnlightenmentThe EnlightenmentJohn Keating: We don't read and write poetry because : We don't read and write poetry because

it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse." verse." That the powerful play goes on and you may That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be? . contribute a verse. What will your verse be? .

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment

Dead Poets SocietyDead Poets Society

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment

While the Scientific Revolution focused While the Scientific Revolution focused on science and discovering the natural on science and discovering the natural world it lead to a new understanding world it lead to a new understanding of mankind-The Enlightenmentof mankind-The Enlightenment

In the late 17In the late 17thth and early 18 and early 18thth Century Century the small but growing educated the small but growing educated population began on an intellectual population began on an intellectual road towards human enlightenment in road towards human enlightenment in which new ideas about government which new ideas about government and society were exploredand society were explored

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment

Enlightenment Enlightenment focused on a new focused on a new study of philosophystudy of philosophy– How do we make How do we make

society a better society a better place?place?

– Why are we here?Why are we here?– Should government Should government

serve the needs of serve the needs of the people?the people?

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment Divine RightDivine Right

– Strong monarchies Strong monarchies developed after the developed after the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and Counter-ReformationReformation

– The Catholic Church lost its The Catholic Church lost its power over monarchies and power over monarchies and governments became more governments became more centralizedcentralized

– Monarchs used Divine Monarchs used Divine Right or that their power Right or that their power came from God to justify came from God to justify their Absolute ruletheir Absolute rule

– ““The King is from God and The King is from God and the law is from the king”-the law is from the king”-James IJames I

– An illegal act was an An illegal act was an ungodly actungodly act

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment The Social ContractThe Social Contract

– During the 17During the 17thth Century this newly Century this newly educated population of Europe and the educated population of Europe and the Americas (Colonies) began to look hard at Americas (Colonies) began to look hard at their governmenttheir government

– The philosophical idea that governments The philosophical idea that governments were based not divine right but the idea were based not divine right but the idea that they needed to serve the needs of the that they needed to serve the needs of the people was advancedpeople was advanced

– The idea that there was a social contract The idea that there was a social contract (obligation) between ruler and the people(obligation) between ruler and the people

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment The social contract was The social contract was

further based on the further based on the idea that people were idea that people were around long before around long before governmentsgovernments

It was people who gave It was people who gave governments their governments their power and rulers the power and rulers the right to ruleright to rule

The monarchs authority The monarchs authority did not come from God did not come from God but from the peoplebut from the people

There was a social There was a social contract between the contract between the people and the people and the governmentgovernment

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment So what did this social So what did this social

contract mean?contract mean? Many philosophers had Many philosophers had

different ideas on their different ideas on their own forms of governmentown forms of government

In almost all cases it In almost all cases it negated the idea of negated the idea of divine rightdivine right

In all cases it made the In all cases it made the monarch responsible for monarch responsible for the economic, social and the economic, social and political wellbeing of the political wellbeing of the peoplepeople

Hobbes (1588-1679)Hobbes (1588-1679) Believes that people Believes that people

are greedyare greedy People cannot govern People cannot govern

themselvesthemselves Man is evil and will Man is evil and will

commit evil actscommit evil acts Hobbes idea of the Hobbes idea of the

social contract was social contract was between the king and between the king and the peoplethe people

Explained this in his Explained this in his book book LeviathanLeviathan

HobbesHobbes Government needs to be Government needs to be

strong.strong. Only a strong Only a strong

government can create a government can create a peaceful society.peaceful society.

The people need an The people need an absolute monarch to absolute monarch to make the laws and make the laws and decisions for the country.decisions for the country.

However that absolute However that absolute ruler must be benevolent ruler must be benevolent and just and if not the and just and if not the people may replace that people may replace that rulerruler

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)(1712-1778)

Believes that in a Believes that in a perfect society everyone perfect society everyone obeys the laws.obeys the laws.

The good of everyone in The good of everyone in society more important society more important than the good of one than the good of one person.person.

Rousseau believed that Rousseau believed that each person must each person must subject themselves to subject themselves to the general will of the general will of societysociety– If the needs of society If the needs of society

outweigh my needs then I outweigh my needs then I must forego my needs for must forego my needs for the betterment of societythe betterment of society

Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau

The majority or the General Will should The majority or the General Will should always for the common good of society.always for the common good of society.

This would make people free in society This would make people free in society because everyone would obey the laws because everyone would obey the laws and their would be no greed or and their would be no greed or problems in societyproblems in society

People make the laws, people abide by People make the laws, people abide by those laws, society is happy and people those laws, society is happy and people are free to live within societyare free to live within society

Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau The Social ContractThe Social Contract Man and government Man and government

had a obligation to had a obligation to form a government form a government to protect society.to protect society.

If government failed If government failed to protect the to protect the majority then the majority then the people could disband people could disband the government and the government and create a new create a new government.government.

Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau’s ideas had a major impact Rousseau’s ideas had a major impact on the revolutionary movements in on the revolutionary movements in America and FranceAmerica and France

Rousseau’s ideas also caused countries Rousseau’s ideas also caused countries to look at slavery as an evil and to look at slavery as an evil and inspired the anti-slavery movementinspired the anti-slavery movement

While Rousseau called for a society of While Rousseau called for a society of equals, Rousseau had a very low equals, Rousseau had a very low opinion of womenopinion of women

John Locke (1632-1704)John Locke (1632-1704) People have natural People have natural

rights.rights.– LifeLife– Liberty Liberty – PropertyProperty

People form government People form government to protect these rights.to protect these rights.

Government is formed Government is formed through a contract through a contract between man and man.between man and man.

Book- Book- Treaties on Treaties on GovernmentGovernment

John LockeJohn Locke Governments obligation is Governments obligation is

to protect peoples natural to protect peoples natural rights.rights.

If government fails to If government fails to protect the rights then the protect the rights then the people have the right to people have the right to overthrow the government.overthrow the government.

Locke ideals of Locke ideals of government influenced government influenced Thomas Jefferson in Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of writing the Declaration of Independence and the Independence and the French RevolutionFrench Revolution

An unproductive and An unproductive and unpopular government unpopular government could and should be could and should be replacedreplaced

Baron de MontesquieuBaron de Montesquieu The powers of The powers of

government needed to government needed to be separated to keep be separated to keep one branch from one branch from becoming too becoming too powerful.powerful.

Three branches of Three branches of government.government.– ExecutiveExecutive– LegislativeLegislative– JudicialJudicial

A system of checks A system of checks and balances.and balances.

Ideas were introduced Ideas were introduced into the Constitution.into the Constitution.

VoltaireVoltaire Believed in free Believed in free

speech.speech. Believed in Believed in

religious toleration.religious toleration. First French First French

philosopher to use philosopher to use wit and criticism to wit and criticism to speak out against speak out against the French the French government and the government and the Catholic Church.Catholic Church.

Spreading the WordSpreading the Word The ideas of the The ideas of the

Enlightenment began Enlightenment began to spread all over to spread all over EuropeEurope

Places called Salons or Places called Salons or literary circles began literary circles began to appear all over to appear all over Europe and AmericasEurope and Americas– PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia– BostonBoston– LondonLondon– Moscow Moscow – Paris Paris

WomenWomen Women especially upper Women especially upper

class women were able to class women were able to gain education and in some gain education and in some cases proved to be cases proved to be intellectual equals to menintellectual equals to men

Many women began writing Many women began writing Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (Vindication of the Rights of (Vindication of the Rights of Women)Women)

Other became great political Other became great political leaders like Catherine the leaders like Catherine the GreatGreat

Women were very Women were very instrumental in organizing instrumental in organizing and hosting salons which and hosting salons which helped the spread of the helped the spread of the EnlightenmentEnlightenment

DeismDeism God created the universe God created the universe

and doesn't care or and doesn't care or interact with creation. interact with creation.

Thus God is in reality a Thus God is in reality a watchmaker who set the watchmaker who set the world in motion but plays world in motion but plays no part in its running. no part in its running.

God also created natural God also created natural laws, that could be laws, that could be proven by science, on proven by science, on how the world was to how the world was to operateoperate

This idea of deism went This idea of deism went against the ideas of against the ideas of organized religion organized religion

ConclusionConclusion

The Enlightenment will take hold in the The Enlightenment will take hold in the new world firstnew world first– Americas will use the ideas of Locke and break Americas will use the ideas of Locke and break

free of the Britishfree of the British– In 1789 the French will take up the ideals of the In 1789 the French will take up the ideals of the

Enlightenment and strike down the French Enlightenment and strike down the French absolute monarch Louis XVIabsolute monarch Louis XVI

– In 1791 the Enlightenment ideas will travel In 1791 the Enlightenment ideas will travel back to the Caribbean and the Latin Americaback to the Caribbean and the Latin America 1791 Haiti will rebel against the French1791 Haiti will rebel against the French Between 1810-1825 Bolivar will and San Martin will Between 1810-1825 Bolivar will and San Martin will

free most of South Americafree most of South America

ConclusionConclusion

Monarch now understood that Monarch now understood that remain in power they needed to be remain in power they needed to be just, tolerant, and improve the lives just, tolerant, and improve the lives of the peopleof the people– ““I am the first servant of the state”-I am the first servant of the state”-

Frederick the GreatFrederick the Great