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BackgroundWhat did the Renaissance do?
The Renaissance sparked interest and curiosity about many things, allowing people to start to think for themselves
What did European Exploration do? New lands, people, and animals opened the idea that
there were new truths to be discovered. New research and new equipment were developed and people looked more carefully at the world around them
What did the Reformation question? The Reformation led people to question and challenge the
original views of God, the church, and salvation
BackgroundScientific Revolution
A new way of thinking about the natural world based upon careful observation and a willingness to questions accepted beliefs
The EnlightenmentA new intellectual movement that stressed reason
and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems
This is also known as the Age of Reason
The Scientific Revolution (1500-1700CE)
The Scientific Revolution was a new way of thinking about the natural world
Based on: Careful observation of natureA willingness to question widely accepted beliefsReason and logic
Result the expansion of scientific knowledge
Geocentric Theory vs. Heliocentric Theory
Geocentric: Idea came from Aristotle, explained by PtolemyGod put the Earth at the center of the universe
Heliocentric:Copernicus studied planetary movements and
concluded that the sun was at the center and planets/stars revolved around it
Johannes Kepler planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun
Galileo GalileiAstronomer, built his own telescope
Published Starry Messenger his findings supported Copernicus’ ideas
Published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems his works angered the church
Put on trial by the church in 1633Under torture, he agreed the ideas of Copernicus
were false
Spent the rest of his life under house arrest
The Scientific Method
A logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas
Begins with a problem or question arising from an observation
Advanced by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes
Isaac NewtonCame up with the
Law of Universal Gravitation (law of gravity)
Wrote The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy one of the greatest scientific books ever written
The Scientific Revolution Spreads
Scientific Instruments Microscope (bacteria, blood cells), mercury barometer,
thermometer (Fahrenheit and Celsius)
Medicine and the Human Body On the Structure of the Human Body (human anatomy
book), smallpox vaccine
Chemistry Robert Boyle is considered the founder of modern
chemistry Boyle’s Law explains how volume, temperature, and
pressure of gas affect each other
The Scientific Revolution Spreads
The ideas of reason and order soon spread from science to other areas of study
Philosophers and scholars began to rethink long-standing ideas
Focus on rights and liberties of ordinary citizens
This challenged the relationship between government and its people, with many results
BackgroundThe Enlightenment
A new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems
A result of the ideas from the Scientific Revolution
Sought new insights on government, religion, economics, and education
The Start of the Enlightenment
Started from some key ideas put forth by two English political thinkers of the 1600s:Thomas Hobbes Social ContractJohn Locke Natural Rights
Both wrote about government and human nature but each had very different conclusions!!
Thomas Hobbes – Social Contract
Wrote The Leviathan (1651)
Influenced by the English Civil War
He believed:All humans were naturally selfish and wicked
(acted in their own self-interest)Countries needed a ruler with total power to keep
the citizens under controlThey needed a social contact an agreement in
which the people hand over their rights to a strong ruler and in exchange they gain law and order
John Locke – Natural Rights
Wrote Two Treatises on Government
People have the ability to reason and to make good decisions if given the proper information
All people are born free with three natural rights life, liberty, and property
Governments should exist to protect these rights
Governments should be formed with the approval (consent) of the people
People, not god, should choose leaders
Philosophes - FranceBelieved people could apply reason to all
aspects of life
Five core beliefs:1. Reason2. Nature3. Happiness4. Progress5. Liberty
Voltaire – French Philosophe
French writer – wrote over 70 books
Used his writing to fight for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech
Believed in the separation of church and state
Baron de Montesquieu –Separation of Powers
French political thinker, wrote The Spirit of Laws
A monarchy with limited power makes a country stable and secure
Developed the idea of “separation of powers”Government should be divided or spread out
among different branches of government so no one individual or group has too much power and as a result threatens liberty
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Wrote The Social Contract
Swiss philosopher
Direct Democracy—where people vote in person to make all laws—was the way to protect individual freedom
Government should be a contract between rulers and the people
Cesare Beccaria
Wrote On Crimes and Punishments
Felt that many parts of the justice system were unfair:TortureSecret trialsHarsh sentencesCorrupt judges
His book called for punishments designed to preserve security and order
Mary Wollstonecraft – Women’s Rights
Enlightenment thinkers had many traditional views on women – limited education, focus on home life, inequality in marriage, ect.
She wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Women should have an education because it’s the key to gaining equality
Urged women to enter into male dominated fields such as medicine and politics
Adam Smith - Economics
Scottish moral philosopher and economist, father of “modern economics”
Most famous work is The Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
Collection/study of what builds a nation’s wealth
Discusses division of labor, productivity, and free markets
Legacy of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment thinkers encouraged reform but were not active revolutionaries
However, their ideas inspired future revolutions
Three Long-Term Effects on Western Civilization1. Belief in Progress
2. A More Secular Outlook
3. Importance of the Individual
Effects on Society
Religion
Political Theory
Economic Theory
Education
Psychological Theory
Gender Theory
An Important Note As We Move Forward!
Most Enlightened thinkers opposed democracy
Supported some level of autocratic rule but…
The benefits were supposed to be for the people
NOT for personal power but for the welfare of the
people
THIS DID NOT ALWAYS WORK AS IT SHOULD!