Transcript The Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment
1700-1789
The Age of Enlightenment
 A period of intellectual exchange in Europe
during the 18th century
 “Progress”
 A desire for political and social change
The Age of Enlightenment
 What made the Enlightenment possible?
The Philosophes
 Intellectuals who discussed ideas
 Used reason to explain their world
 Believed that Reason could improve society
 Believed in tolerance for all religions
The Philosophes
Voltaire (1694-1778)
 French intellectual who criticized French
society
John Locke (1632-1704)
 Treatises on Government
 Essay on Human Understanding
 “Tabula Rasa”
John Locke (1632-1704)
Denis Diderot (1713-1784)
 Published the Encyclopedia in 1772
 Attempt to compile information on
everything
Denis Diderot (1713-1784)
The Encyclopedia
Baron de Montesquieu
(1689-1755)
 French political philosopher
 The Spirit of the Laws
Baron de Montesquieu
(1689-1755)
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)
 Jewish philosopher in Amsterdam
 Belief in religious toleration
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1778)
 The Social Contract (1762)
 The “General Will”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1778)
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
 First modern economist
 The Wealth of Nations (1776)
 Laissez-Faire
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
The Wealth of Nations
Mary Wollstonecraft
(1759-1797)
 Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of
Women
 Founder of modern feminism
Mary Wollstonecraft
(1759-1797)
The American Revolution
 Was the American Revolution just a revolt
against British taxation?
 How was it based on Enlightenment
principles?
 In what ways is the Declaration of
Independence based on John Locke’s
Treatises on Government?
Conclusion
 The Enlightenment was a period of
intellectual exchange in Europe during the
18th century
 Several factors contributed to the
Enlightenment
 Philosophes expressed desire for social and
political change