Transcript Enlightenment - Haiku Learning

The Enlightenment: Ideals,
Contributors, and
Consequences
By Carolen Sadler
Laguna Beach High School
World History
Definition
a European intellectual movement of the
late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing
reason and individualism rather than
tradition.
Origins
 Outgrowth of the Scientific
Revolution of 1500 & 1600s
Remember the
Scientific Revolution?
Here’s a quick review.
The Scientific Revolution
Scientist
discovered
many
scientific
laws for
the first
time.
Sir Isaac Newton
discovered gravity.
Nicolas
Copernicus
proposed the
model of a suncentered universe.
Origins Continued
Increased contact between
Europeans and the wider world.
Growing prosperity and rise of
middle classes.
Trade
Philosophical Belief
Enlightened thinkers believed
in the power of human
reason and the perfectibility
of mankind.
Trust nature and man
Distrust institutions and
traditions
Question?
What were some of the key
ideas of the Enlightenment
and who were some of the
period’s important thinkers?
Let me enlighten you.
Enlightenments Ideals
Reason
Success in science created
great confidence in the
power of reason. Thinkers
believed that reason could
solve every social, political,
and economic problem.
Voltaire
French 1694-1778
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more?
He believed in the
ultimate rationality of
the universe, but saw
many evils and flaws
in human society.
Denounced the
torture of criminals.
Cesare Beccaria
 Italian 1738-1794
 Wrote On Crimes and
Punishment
 Punishment should fit the
crime - Brutal
punishment is cruel and
unusual.
 Hugely influenced
modern justice systems
including U.S.
Constitution and Bill of
Rights.
Ideals Con’t
Separation of Power
Protection from tyranny by
dividing the functions and
powers of government
among three separate
branches: legislature,
executive, and judiciary.
Baron de Montesquieu
French 1689-1755
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more?
The Baron felt that
each branch of
government could
serve as a check on
the other two. Does
this sound familiar?
Ideals Con’t
Natural Rights
All humans are born with
certain rights. These include
the right to life, liberty, and
property.
John Locke
English 1632-1704
Want
more?
Locke argued that
people formed
governments to protect
their natural rights.
People have the right
to overthrow gov’t if
gov’t fails its obligation.
Warmup
What would be the best way to separate
powers in a classroom constitution to
prevent tyranny and promote learning?
Ideals Con’t
Social Contract
An agreement by which
people gave up the “state of
nature” (no laws, no
controls) for an organized
society.
Thomas Hobbes
English 1588-1679
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more?
To escape a
“brutish” life, people
agree to enter into a
social contract to
ensure an orderly
society.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
French 1712-1778
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more?
People are basically
good. Government is
an expression of the
general will. In an
ideal society, people
would make laws and
obey them willingly.
Who said this?
God makes all things good;
man meddles with them and
they become evil.
Answer: Jean Jacques Rousseau
Ideals Con’t
Laissez-faire
An economic policy that
allowed business to operate
with little or no government
interference.
Adam Smith
English 1723-1790
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more?
Smith tried to show
trade, wages, profit, and
economic growth was
linked to supply and
demand. He was
interested in a free
market without gov’t
regulations.
Question?
Which two men believed in
a social contract between
government and society?
Answer: Hobbs and Rousseau
Click here to review
Ideals Con’t
Progress
By the early 1700s, European
thinkers felt that nothing was
beyond the reach of the
human mind and
improvements could be made
to human society.
Question?
Which of the thinkers we
have discussed believed in
the Enlightenment ideal of
progress?
Answer: They all did!
Click here to review
Consequences
Enlightenment thinkers
wanted to effect a change in
people’s worldviews and
political institutions.
Age of Democratic
Revolutions
American Revolution - 1776
Enlightenment
ideals gave
justification for
the right to revolt.
French Revolution - 1786
Enlightenment ideals
led people to question
the ancien regime.
Latin American Revolutions 1791
Enlightenment ideals
influenced leaders to
work for independence
and equality among
classes.
Question?
Are Enlightenment
ideals still influential
in today’s society?
Bibliography
World History: Connections to Today. 1999.
Prentice Hall
www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook
.html (Source for primary documents)
www.utm.edu/research/iep/h/hobbes.htm