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| Scientific Revolution | A new way of thinking about the natural world based upon careful observation, a willingness to question accepted beliefs, and the application of reason and logic. The Scientific Revolution prompted the Enlightenment in three key ways. First, the questioning of established beliefs that was fundamental to the Scientific Revolution led to further questioning of established practices in government, religion, economics and education. Second, the discoveries made during the Scientific Revolution were based on reason and logic as applied to interpreting the physical world and therefore the success of the Scientific Revolution encouraged the use of reason and logic in other areas. Third, the quick progress made by thinkers during the Scientific Revolution gave people the confidence that reason and logic could also be applied to solve social problems. |
| Enlightenment | an intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems; also known as the Age of Reason; reached its height in the mid-1700s; brought great change to many aspects of Western civilization |
| Thomas Hobbes | English political thinker of the 1600s; published Leviathan in 1651; believed humans were naturally selfish and wicked; argued that because of self-centered human nature, people had to hand over their rights to a strong ruler in exchange for law and order; called the exchange of all rights for law and order created by government the social contract; favored absolute monarchy |
| John Locke | English political thinker of the 1600s; published Second Treatise on Government in 1690; believed that humans were reasonable beings that could learn from experience and improve themselves; argued that people had the natural ability to govern themselves; criticized absolute monarchy; proposed that all people are born free and equal; contended that people were born with three natural rights: life, liberty, and property; maintained that the purpose of government was to protect people’s natural rights and should be overthrown if it did not; beliefs formed foundation of modern democracy and fundamental to the U.S. Declaration of Independence; charged with sedition in England and fled to France |
| Paris | meeting place for Enlightenment thinkers wishing to discuss politics and ideas in the mid-1700s |
| philosophes | social critics of the mid-1700s in France who believed that people could apply reason to all aspects of live |
| reason | one of five core beliefs of the philosophes; belief in discovering truth through logical thinking |
| nature | one of five core beliefs of the philosophes; belief that what was natural was also good and reasonable |
| happiness | one of five core beliefs of the philosophes; rejection of medieval idea that people should find joy in the afterlife and embraced the seeking of joy and well-being on Earth |
| progress | one of five core beliefs of the philosophes; belief that human beings and society could improve |
| liberty | one of five core beliefs of the philosophes; belief in the Bill of Rights of 1689 drafted after England's Glorious Revolution that said a ruler could not suspend the laws of Parliament, levy taxes without the consent of Parliament, interfere with freedom of speech in Parliament, or penalize citizens who petitioned the king about grievances |
| Voltaire | French philosophe; pen name of Francois Marie Arouet; used satire extensively in over 70 books including Candide in 1759; targeted the clergy, the aristocracy, and the government; argued for tolerance, reason, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech; "I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it." |
| Baron de Montesquieu | French philosophe; published On the Spirit of Laws in 1748; argued that Britain was the best-governed and most politically balanced country of his time because of their separation of powers (king and ministers enforce laws, Parliament made laws, judges and English courts interpreted laws); argued that the separation of powers (checks and balances) would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government ; ideas about separation of power and checks and balances became the basis for the U.S. Constitution |
| Jean Jacques Rousseau | French philosophe; passionately committed to individual freedom; "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."; disagreed that reason, science and art would improve life for all people and argued instead that civilization corrupted people's natural goodness; published The Social Contract in 1762 which argued that the only good form of government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the "general will" of society, or a direct democracy; argued that people need only give up SOME of their freedom in favor of the common good; his social contract differed greatly from that of Hobbes because Hobbes's social contract was an agreement between society and its government and his version was an agreement among free individuals to great a society and a government; agreed with Locke that legitimate government came from the consent of the governed; argued that all people were equal and that titles of nobility should be abolished; inspired many of the leaders of the French Revolution in 1789 |
| Cesare Bonesana Beccaria | Italian philosophe; believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not avenge crimes; criticized common abuses of justice such as torturing of witnesses and suspects, irregular trial proceedings, and punishments that were arbitrary or cruel; argued that a person accused of a crime should receive a speedy trial, that torture should never be used, that the degree of punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime, and that capital punishment should be abolished; believed that justice sought by governments should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people; ideas influenced the U.S. Bill of Rights |
| how most Enlightenment thinkers viewed women's roles in society | Most took a traditional view such as limiting a girl's education to teaching her to be a helpful wife and mother. |
| Mary Astell | English writer; published A Serious Proposal to the Ladies in 1694 addressing the lack of educational opportunities for women; used Enlightenment arguments about government to criticize the unequal relationship between men and women in marriage; "If absolute sovereignty be not necessary in a state, how comes it to be so in a family?… If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?" |
| Mary Wollstonecraft | English writer; published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792 disagreeing with Rousseau that women's education should be secondary to men's; urged women to enter the male-dominated fields of medicine and politics |
| Emilie du Chatelet | French mathematician, physicist, and writer; translated Newton's work from Latin into French |
| action taken by the philosophes | Although they encouraged reform, they were not active revolutionaries and served as inspiration for American, French and other revolutionary movements. Their work caused long-term effects that helped shape Western civilization. |
| three key long-term effects of the Englightenment | belief in progress, a more secular outlook, and the rise of individualism |
| satire | the use of irony, sarcasm, or wit to attack folly, vice, or stupidity; utilized heavily by Voltaire in Candide, Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels, and William Hogarth in paintings such as Canvassing for Votes |
| results of belief in progress | confidence that people could use reason to solve social problems led to reformers arguing for an end to slavery, greater social equality, and a more democratic style of government |
| results of a more secular outlook | a more non-religious outlook led some people to question their religious beliefs and the teachings of the church more openly and others to attack the beliefs of organized Christianity, calling for an end to superstition and fear in faith and a society that was more tolerant of all religions |
| results of the rise of individualism | emphasis on the importance of the individual in society encouraged people to turn away from guidance of church or crown and instead rely on their own reason to judge what was right or wrong |
