The document discusses the key ideas and figures of the Enlightenment. It emphasizes that Enlightenment thinkers believed human reason could be used to discover natural laws and create a perfect society. Major Enlightenment figures mentioned include Newton, Locke, Descartes, Bacon, and the Philosophes such as Voltaire and Rousseau. The Enlightenment valued reason and rationality over tradition and superstition.

2.  Tenets of the Enlightenment
 Role of Reason
 Origins
 Guardians of the Enlightenment
 Role of France
 Worldview

3.  What is
Enlightenment?
 “Sapere Aude”

4.  The Enlightenment stressed that Reason could
cure mankind of all past injustices.
 In such a new world a perfect society was
almost insured.
 Through reason man could discover the
Natural Laws that regulated society.
 Once that is done man can reach Progress that
would guarantee human betterment.

5. England
 Newton
 Locke
 Glorious
Revolution

6.  Men can use their
powers of reason to free
themselves of problems
 Reason for yourself.
 Rationality – thinking
things through, action
without emotion

7. Scientific:
 The key players in
this were Descartes,
Bacon, and Newton.
 Shows influence of
scientific thought

8.  Sought to use
mathematics as a
language of universal
precision.
 Systematic Doubt:
Question everything
 Logical analysis.
 Strict progression of
synthesis.
 Tries to save
Christianity with logic

9.  Newton’s Principia was
published in Latin in 1687.
 Argues universe worked
according to fixed natural
laws.
 He saw the world as a
great mechanical work of
God.
 "Nature and Nature's
Laws lay hid in night;
God said, 'Let Newton be!'
-- And all was light."

10.  Work of Newton, Bacon, Descartes, highlights
natural laws, therefore God must work through
natural laws.
 Religion, therefore should be rational
 No mysteries
 No superstitions
 No miracles
 Which church is this really aimed at?

11.  Logical extent of rationalized religion.
 God is the creative force in the universe, deny
“revealed religion”
 Mechanistic universe – God created universe,
but is uninvolved in man’s affairs
 Therefore all Christian religions have it wrong

12.  The intellectuals who
adopted this position
were called Philosophes.
 Most, but not all were
French.
 Few were Philosophers in
the strict sense of the
term.
 The philosophes were
social critics, publicists,
political scientists,
economists, and social
reformers.

13. Reason/Logic
 Rationalism
 Empiricism
 Tolerance
 Skepticism
 Deism
 Light
 Modern
Tradition/Superstition
 Nostalgia for the past
 Religion
 Irrationality
 Emotion
 Darkness
 Pre-
modern/medieval

14.  Philosophes critique French society and
monarchy
 In Politics, three main philosophes are
 Montesquieu
 Voltaire
 Rousseau
 Agriculture/Botany: Physiocrats

17.  Debate about the world takes place within the public
sphere, at coffee houses & salons
 Written about in pamphlets, newspapers, broad sides
 Ideology of the Enlightenment comes to dominate
European Milieu