Transcript The Enlightenment - The Scientific Revolution

The
Enlightenment
- The Scientific Revolution
Rachel Nostrant & Kenneth King
The Enlightenment- The 5W’s
• What: the intellectual movement of the 17th
and 18th centuries marked by a celebration of
the powers of the human reason, a keen
interest in science, the promotion of religious
toleration, desire to construct governments
free of tyranny.
The 5W’s
• When: 17th and 18th Centuries
• Where: Europe (mostly Great Britain and
France) and America
• Why:
Questions and experimentation on
government, lifestyle, etc.
• How:
Through experimentation, and
“breathing room” from the various
governments, making possibilities limitless.
The 5W’s- Who
Hume, David 1711 – 1776
• Building his career after a nervous breakdown, Hume gained
attention for his History of England and established a name for
himself among Enlightenment thinkers while working at the British
embassy in Paris. His best known work is the full three volumes of
the Treatise of Human Nature.
Kant, Immanuel 1724 – 1804
• A Prussian who studied at the University of Konigsberg, Kant
became a professor of mathematics and philosophy. The Critique of
Pure Reason, arguably his most famous work, is one of several key
Enlightenment texts, including his era defining essay What is
Enlightenment?
The 5W’s- Who
Locke, John 1632 – 1704
• A key thinker of the early Enlightenment, English Locke was educated at
Oxford. His Essay Concerning Human Understanding of 1690 challenged
Descartes’ views and influenced later thinkers, and he helped pioneer
views on toleration and produced views on government which would
underpin later thinkers. Locke was forced to flee England for Holland in
1683 because of his links to plots against the king.
Montesquieu, Charles-Louis 1689 – 1755
• Born into a prominent legal family, Montesquieu was a lawyer and
president of the Bordeaux Parliament. He first came to the attention of
the Parisian literary world with his satire Persian Letters, which tackled
French institutions and the “Orient”, but is best known for Esprit des Lois,
or The Spirit of the Laws. Published in 1748, this was an examination of
different forms of government which became one of the most widely
disseminated works of the Enlightenment, especially after the church
added it to their banned list in 1751.
The 5W’s- Who
Newton, Isaac 1642 – 1727
• Although involved in alchemy and theology, it is Newton’s scientific and
mathematical achievements for which he is chiefly recognized. The
methodology and ideas he set forth in key works like the Principia helped
forge a new model for “natural philosophy” which the thinkers of the
Enlightenment tried to apply to humanity and society.
Voltaire, François-Marie 1694 – 1778
• Voltaire is one of, if not the, most dominant Enlightenment figures, and his
death is sometimes cited as the end of the period. He was imprisoned
early in his career for his satires and spent time exiled in England before a
brief period as court historiographer to the French king. After this he
continued to travel, finally settling on the Swiss border. He is perhaps best
known today for his satire Candide.
Comparisons
• British vs. French
• Natural vs. Political Science
French Enlightenment
• “Reason is to the philosopher what grace is to
the Christian” –Diderot
• Reason is paramount to French enlightenment
thinkers. Drive and instinct have little to do
with it. (Think Vulcan)
• The enlightenment is considered by many to
have started with the French and led primarily
by them.
British Enlightenment
• “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of
the passions, and can never pretend to any
other office then to serve and obey them.” –
Hume
• The British enlightenment is driven by desire
and instinct without which, they claim, we
would not even be able to get out of bed
Similar Ideas
• Toleration of anything but intolerance.
• Constant inquiry. Question everything, Nature,
God, and our own human nature.
• Freedom is treasured (especially freedom of
thought and speech)
• Pursuit of knowledge should be supported
• Man is the main focus, not religion.
Opposing Ideas
• Reason vs. Sentiment (again)
• Human nature at its core. British-humans are
inherently bad. French-humans are good and
can perfect their existence.
• Some, in both camps, saw humans as both.
The Sciences of the Enlightenment
• Two main scientific studies in the
enlightenment, natural science and political
science.
• Natural focuses on the environment aorund us
and humanity as a whole.
• Political focuses on government and its
organization
Political Science
• Big Players: John Locke (Magna Carta, inalienable
rights) Montesquieu (Separation of powers,
Checks and Balances) Rousseau (Social Contract,
how decisions should be made) Thomas Hobbes
(Leviathan, monarchy is necessary for order.)
• Frequently proposed government in the hands of
the people (French Revolution and British Civil
War in 1680’s)
• The United States government is the by product
of these philosophies. (except Hobbes’)
Natural Science
• Big Players: Newton (gravity, laws of motion)
Rene Descartes (deductive reasoning) Francis
Bacon (inductive reasoning)
• Led to breakthrough’s in science and scientific
study.
• Major product is Charles Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution
Take Note !
• Diderot- Thirty-Five volume Encyclopedia a
culmination of human knowledge in the arts
and sciences.
• Invention of Calculus by Newton and Leibniz
• Religion is almost completely separated from
the state as a result of David Hume and
Immanuel Kant’s work.
Study Guide
1)
Who are the major British Enlightenment
philosophers?
a) Locke and Montesquieu
b) Newton and Voltaire
c) Locke and Newton
d) Hume and Kant
Study Guide
2) What major European city did the movement
gain momentum in?
a) London
b) Milan
c) Rome
d) Paris
Study Guide
3) What were the main thoughts of
Enlightenment on?
a) wealth and family
b) Government and science
c) English supremacy
d) French supremacy
Study Guide
4) True/ False- Calculus was invented during the
Enlightenment.
Study Guide
• What/ Who were the Anglophiles?
a) A person who loves the country, culture or
people of England or Britain
b) A person who loves the country, culture or
people of France
c) A person who loves the country, culture or
people of America
d) A person who loves the country, culture or
people of Prussia
Study Guide Answers
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
C -Locke and Newton
D -Paris
B -Government and science
True
A- A person who loves the country, culture or
people of England or Britain
Citations
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http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/theenlightenmen1/tp/enlightenmentthinkers.htm
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PHILOSOPHY NOW ,March/April 2003, pp. 17-19 , Copyright © 2003 by Toni Vogel Carey. First published in
PHILOSOPHY NOW. March/April 2003. Reprinted by permission of Stuart Bernstein Representation for
Artists, New York. All rights reserved
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/enlightenment/terms.html
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anglophile
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