Scientific Revolution/ Enlightenment

Enlightenment

• the act/means of enlightening

• state of awakened understanding

• foundation = Scientific Revolution

• philosophes used principles of questioning authority (focused on human institutions)

• reforms to gov. and religion

Prior to Enlightenment

• absolutism

• no fair trials

• censorship

• laws were made by monarchs/nobles

Diderot

• The Encyclopedia (logged knowledge for science/ understanding)

• changed societal views, organization, access of knowledge for good

• didn’t include knowledge that wasn’t scientifically proven

• spread Enlightenment

• believer of Deism

Voltaire

• wrote Candide (revealed world of horrors and folly)

• stated organized religion had no factual basis, it is essentially made up

• Freedom of Religion

• Freedom of Speech

• Defense of Enlightened Despotism

• believer of Deism

• religion= personal, private issues 🚫 public life/gov.

Deism

• clockmaker theory

• God created a perfect universal system →Though God wasn’t involved in our world/lives

d’Holbach

• developed idea of Atheism

John Locke

• new ideas about natural rights, religion, gov.

• believed gov. should be designed to protect natural rights to life, liberty, and property of the people

• people have the right to revolt if gov. abuses power

• influenced Thomas Jefferson/ Dec. of Independence

Montesquieu

• wrote The Spirit of Laws (separation of powers)

• law-making, enforcing, and interpreting →divided into 3 groups

• no one person/group can control/misuse gov.

Checks and Balances System

• Legislative Branch (congress, house of reps, writes laws)

• Executive Branch (president, vp, cabinet, enforces laws)

• Judicial Branch (supreme court, federal courts, interprets laws)

Rousseau

• stated gov. should be all people not just elites

• Social Contract (all individuals participated and made laws to “general will”)

• ideas on freedom, participation, CONSENT OF GOVERNED (popular among people not kings/nobles)

Quesnay

• Father of Laissez-Faire Economics

• denounced mercantilism

Smith

• Wrote Wealth of Nations

• Father of Modern Capitalism