1. The Enlightenment
Chapter 17, Section 2

2. Path to the Enlightenment
 What was the Enlightenment???
 Philosophical movement- applying the scientific
method to all aspects of life
 Common words of the Enlightenment:
 Reason
 Natural Law
 Hope
 Progress

3. Isaac Newton
 Discovered natural laws that
governed the physical world
 Intellectuals of the
Enlightenment used his
methods to discover the
natural laws of human
society

4. John Locke
 Argued that everyone was born with
a tabula rasa- blank slate
 People were molded by experiences
and observations
 If environments changed then people
would change.
 If people changed, society would be
changed.

5. Philosophes and Their
Ideas
 Philosophe = Philosopher
 Intellectuals of the Enlightenment
 Mostly from nobility and middle class
 Goal-to change the world through
rational criticism of religion and politics

6. Montesquieu
 Most famous work- The Spirit of
Laws
 Ideas:
 3 basic kinds of governments:
 Republics (for small states)
 Despotism (for large states)
 Monarchies (medium states)
 Separation of Powers:
 3 Branches:
executive, legislative, and judicial
 Sound familiar?

7. Voltaire
 Greatest figure of the
Enlightenment
 Known for his criticism of
Christianity and strong belief
of religious toleration
 Wrote Treatise on Toleration
 Deism- God is like a
“clockmaker” and does not
interfere with his creation

8. Diderot
 Freelance writer
 Wrote the Encyclopedia, or
Classified Dictionary, of the
Sciences, Arts, and Trades
 Attacked religious superstition
and supported religious
toleration and political
improvements
 Sold to doctors, clergymen,
teachers, and lawyers-
spreading the ideas if the
Enlightenment!

9. Economics
 Adam Smith
 Laissez-Faire- literally means “to
let do” or let people do what they
want
 Wrote The Wealth of Nations
 3 basic roles of government:
 Protecting society from invasion
(army)
 Defending citizens from injustice
(police)
 Certain public works (roads, canals,
etc)

10. Beccaria and Justice
 Wrote On Crimes and Punishments
 Opposed capital punishment- believed it did not
stop others fro committing crimes
 Crimes should not be brutal
 “Is it not absurd, that the laws, which punish
murder, should in order to prevent
murder, publicly commit murder themselves?”

11. The Later Enlightenment
 Rousseau- believed people had
become enslaved by government
 Social Contract- “the general will”
is what’s best for the entire
community
 Education should foster, not
restrict, children’s natural instincts
 Saw the importance of emotions as
well as reason- balance between
heart and mind

12. Rights of Women
 Mary Wollstonecraft
 Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of
Women
 2 problems:
 If the power of monarchs over their
people is wrong, then so is the power of
men over women
 Enlightenment was based on the power
of reason in all human beings. Since
women have reason, they deserve the
same rights as men
 Women should have equal writes in
education, economic, and political life

13. Social World of the
Enlightenment
 Growth of Reading
 Magazines and
Newspapers
 Salons

14. Religion in the
Enlightenment
 Many Europeans were still
Christians
 John Wesley- Methodism
 Appealed to the lower classes
 Preached to the masses in
open fields
 Influenced the abolition of
the slave trade
 People still needed spiritual
experiences