Chapter 17 Enlightenment

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Chapter 17

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Early scientific thought

 _{Ptolemy: believed that the earth was the}

center of the universe. This is called a geocentric theory

◦ He believed that the universe was a group of spheres one inside the other.

◦ The tenth sphere is the “prime mover” which gives motion to the other spheres.

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Copernicus and Kepler

•

Copernicus developed the Heliocentric theory

– that the sun, not the earth is the center of

the universe.

•

Johannes Kepler used mathematical formulas

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Galileo

•

Galileo: “Humans were no longer the center of the

Universe , and God was no longer in a specific

place.”

–

He used his telescope to confirm Copernicus’ views.

–

He described the moon as mountainous.

–

The church ordered Galileo to recant his ideas.

–

He was tortured and placed on house arrest until his

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 Newton: Universal law of gravitation - Every object in the universe is attracted to every other object by a force called gravity.

 _{Andreas Vesalius: Dissected human bodies to give the first}

accurate book of anatomy

 _{William Harvey: Showed that the heart not the liver was the main}

transportation devise for blood, and that the same blood flows through veins and arteries.

 _{Robert Boyle: pioneered the properties of gases – Boyle’s Law}

 _{Antoine Lavoisier: invented a system of naming chemicals still}

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Women of Modern Science

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Margaret Cavendish: wrote a book called

Observations Upon Experimental Philosophy.

–

She was critical of the idea that humans were the

masters of nature.

•

Maria Winkelmann:

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Descartes and Reason

•

Rene Descartes

: Discourse on Method

– _{“I think, therefore, I am”}

– _{“Argued that because the mind cannot be doubted but the}

body and material world can, the two must be radically different”

• _{Scientific Method: A systematic method of collecting and}

analyzing evidence.

• _{Francis Bacon: scientists should use inductive reasoning and go}

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Philosophy and the Age of Reason

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Hobbes:

•

Wrote a book called Leviathan

• _{Argued that people were naturally cruel, greedy, and}

selfish.

• _{If not controlled they would fight, rob, and oppress}

one another.

• _{His concept of Social Contract an agreement by}

which people give up the state of nature for an organized society.

• _{Only a powerful government could ensure an orderly}

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•

Locke

Believed that people were basically

reasonable and moral.

Everyone had a “natural right” to life,

liberty, and property.

He wrote “Two Treatises of Government”

The best kind of government had limited power and

was accepted by all citizens

The government has an obligation to the people, if

they violate that the people have the right to

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Montesquieu

– _{Studied the governments of Europe}

– _{Wrote “The Spirit of the Laws”}

– _{He promoted the separation of the three branches of}

government – the legislative, judicial, and executive

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The Philosophes and Society

•

Philosophes – In France a group of

Enlightenment thinkers believed that reason

could lead to reforms of government, law, and

society.

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Voltaire

•

Most famous of the Philosophes

•

He targeted corrupt officials and idle aristocrats

•

He pointed out inequality injustice and

superstition.

•

He is credited with the idea of “free Speech”

•

“ I do not agree with a word that you say, but I

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The Encyclopedia - Denis Diderot

• took 25 years to produce the 28 volume encyclopedia

• _{articles on human knowledge – to change general way of thinking}

• _{used to denounce slavery, praised freedom of expression, and}

urged education for all

• _{they attacked divine right government and traditional religion.}

• _{The Pope threatened to excommunicate anyone who read the}

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Rousseau

Most controversial Philosophe

He believed that people in their natural state were basically good.

Their natural innocence was corrupted by the evils of society.

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Rousseau’s Social Contract

• _{“All men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains.}

• _{He suggested that society is more important than its individual}

members.

• _{He saw society not as a community but as competing individuals}

whose chief goal was to preserve selfish independence in spite of all social bonds and obligations.

• _{Thus the general will must always be right and to obey the}

general will is to be free.

• _{Rousseau has influenced political and social thinkers for more}

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Women of the Enlightenment

Germaine de Stael, Catharine Macaulay Mary Wollstonecraft

 _{Women did have natural rights – but those rights were limited to the areas of}

home and family.

 _{Mary Wollstonecraft – Britain – argued that women were being excluded}

from the social contract.

 _{She accepted a woman’s first duty was to be a good mother at the same}

time, she should not be totally dependent on her husband.

 _{In 1792 she wrote a book called “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” She}

called for equal education for boys and girls.

“ Only Education can give women the tools they need to participate equally with

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Economics- Physiocrats

•

They believed that the primary role of government

was to protect property and to permit its owners to

sue it freely.

•

They rejected mercantilism

•

They urged a policy of Laissez faire business to

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Adam Smith

• Wrote a book “The Wealth of Nations”

•He believed that economic liberty was the foundation of a natural economic system.

•He felt that regulations were wrong.

•Consumers would find their wants met as manufacturers and merchants competed for their business.

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Deism

– _{Started by William Robertson head of the Scottish Kirk.}

– _{Believed that God, who had created, nature must also be}

rational and therefore the worship should be rational

– _{They viewed God as a divine watchmaker who had created}

the mechanism of nature, set it in motion and then departed.

– _{They believe in life after death when rewards and}

punishments would be given out according to the virtue of the peoples lives they lived on Earth.

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Methodism

• _{Developed by John Wesley}

• _{Had a mystical experience in which the “gift of God’s grace”}

assured him of salvation.

• _{Preached to the people of the “glad tidings” of salvation.}

• _{Converts joined Methodist to do good works}

• _{Abolition of the slave trade}

• _{Stressed the importance of hard work and spiritual}

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Jewish Thinkers in

The Age of Enlightenment

• _{Baruch Spinoza}

– _{Wrote a book called “Ethics”}

– _{Described the origins of religion in thoroughly naturalistic}

terms

– _{Identified God with nature so closely that many thought he}

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

Moses Mendelsohn

◦ Known as the Jewish Socrates

◦ Advocated the entry of Jews into modern European Life.

◦ He thought that governments should remain neutral, and Jews should enjoy the same civil rights as other subjects.

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Baroque and Rocco Art

Baroque art

colorful and full of dramatic expression.

Used to glorify battles, saints and royalty

Church’s were conflicted between the desire to have the drama of Baroque or the simple life of Christ

Rococo Art

• _{– personal, elegant and}

charming.

• _{- Mostly floral and rural}

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Music in the Enlightenment

• Johann Sebastian Bach

– _{German Lutheran – wrote organ Chorals}

– _{Used the Harpsichord = his music was described}

as “salvation of the world appears to hand on every note”.

•George Frederick Handel

•He preferred to write Opera’s

•Most famous Opera is Messiah –

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Mozart

•

Wrote 41 symphonies – three comic

operas, and 15 piano concertos.

•

He was a child prodigy. Started composing at age 4,

toured Europe at 6 and wrote his first symphony at

age 9

•

Died before finishing Requiem – a mass for the dead

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Literature

•

Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe – sailor

shipwrecked on a tropical Island.

•

Henry Fielding: wrote novels about people without

morals – his best novel was The History of Tom

Jones, a Foundling.

•

Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela – a story about a