The Enlightenment

"Écrasons l'Infâme!” (Let us crush the vile thing!)

~Voltaire

What is The Enlightenment?

• A philosophical movement of the 18C that:

o Stressed human reasoning over blind faith or obedience

o Encouraged “scientific” thinking (rationalism & empiricism)

o Believed reason could be used to solve all human problems

Origins of The Enlightenment

• Direct product of the Scientific Revolution

• The SR:o Convinced many Euro thinkers about the

power of reasono Scientific method & reason led to

discoveries about the physical worldo People began to wonder if reason could be

used to study society & human nature

Who?

• Predominately involved & affected the bourgeoisie (middle class) & aristocracy

• Urban poor & peasants were too busy trying to survive to care much

• Enlightenment ideals spread by philosophes

What is a Philosophe?

• French for “free thinker”

• Students of society who analyzed its evils and advanced reforms to correct those evils

• Believed human nature was inherently good

• Promoted change & progress

Enlightenment & Religion

• Pre-Enlightenmento Belief that human

nature is inherently sinful

o Doctrine of Original Sin

Deism• The belief in:

o The existence of a God or supreme being, but a denial of organized religion

o The light of nature & reason

• Deists saw God as distant & uninvolved in the daily life of humanso God as a “watchmaker”

Characteristics of the Enlightenment

• Rationalism - reason is the answer to all things

• Secularism - application of the methods of science to religion & philosophy

• Tolerance - of various beliefs

• Freedom - of thought & expression; bring liberty to all

Characteristics, cont.

• Education of the masses

• Social & Legal Reforms o Justice, kindness, charity for allo Habeas corpuso No tortureo Written constitutions that guaranteed

natural rights

Emergence of a Print Culture

• A critical element of spreading Enlightenment ideas was through print

• Literacy increased as a result

Literacy During the Enlightenment

• This explosion of a massive print culture was both the cause and the effect of the tremendous increase in literacy that took place in the 18C