15 THE ENLIGHTENMENT BJU 5th

Enlightenment

An eighteenth-century intellectual movement of the Age of Reason that taught reason was the only sure source of knowledge and truth.

rationalism

The belief that reason is the only sure source of knowledge and truth.

Francis Bacon

English philosopher (1561–1626) who promoted using careful observation and experimentation to reach general conclusions (inductive reasoning).

inductive method

Reasoning from specific cases to a general conclusion, using observation and experimentation before forming a conclusion.

René Descartes

French philosopher and mathematician (1596–1650) who taught that people can start with a simple premise and use logic to reach more complex truth (deductive reasoning).

deductive method

Reasoning that begins with a general or simple premise and uses logic to reach a more complex truth.

John Locke

English thinker (1632–1704) who taught empiricism (knowledge comes from experience), compared the mind of a baby to a blank tablet, and argued that government is based on the consent of the governed and natural rights.

Baruch Spinoza

Philosopher (1632–1677) who promoted pantheism, teaching that everything in the universe is part of one great substance he called “god.”

Montesquieu

French writer (1689–1755) who argued that liberty depends on separating the powers of government into executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Voltaire

French philosophe (1694–1778) and leading Enlightenment figure who criticized abuses in society and promoted a religion ruled by human reason while opposing political and religious intolerance.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

French philosophe (1712–1778) who favored emotion over reason, is often called the Father of Romanticism, and taught that government should carry out the “general will” of the people.