Alquin 20-27

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

• Age of Enlightenment
  
• Reason
  
• Every person is naturally reasonable and good
  
• Equality: leading to revolutions
  
• Industrial revolution
  
• Rise of the middle class
  
• Parliament more powerful than the king
  
• Improved printing techniques: production and distribution of journals and pamphlets
  
• Rise of the novel
  

The eighteenth century

The Eighteenth Century 

The Neo-Classical Period / The Age of Reason

• Neo-Classical: classical influence > absolute authority
• Result: "good art" > imitation of the classics

• Reason: rational and balanced judgement, based on     knowledge, no personal emotions
• Result: "good art" > strict rules regarding form and content

The Eighteenth Century 

• Britain: becomes the world's leading economic power

• wealth based on colonies and trade
• tea, silks and spices (India)
• Industrial Revolution (introduction of steam engine)

Triangular trade

• slaves
  
• Plantation crops (sugar, cotton and tobacco)
  
• Manufactured goods

Changes in society

• move from country to cities
• new social class: middle class (nouveau riche) 
• the family and the home became important > mother had a key role in upbringing of children
• daughters had to marry rich and powerful men to advance family's social status
• new underclass developed: poor people 

the Time of Wigs and Revolutions

1700 - 1800

The 18th century is an age of both reason and mindless violence, of freedom and slavery, and of unimaginable wealth and desperate poverty. 

The transatlantic slave trade grows and so does opposition to it. 

European philosophers reach new conclusions on all sorts of topics including economic, religious, social and political issues. 

These developments are together called the Enlightenment.

These developments are together called the Enlightenment.

Typical Aspects:

-the Enlightenment

-slavery and abolitionism

-the American Revolution

-the French Revolution

The 18th Century

Word Duty

KEY WORDS

Enlightenment: movement of thinkers striving to end the world of dark ideas such as ignorance, 

irrationality, intolerance and inequality.

Rational optimism: the belief that a rational way of thinking and ideas could bring about 

progress, making life better for mankind 

Basic human rights: a right that every person has and which has to be respected, even by kings. 

Atheist: someone who does not believe in the existence of any God.

Deist: Someone who believes in a God that created the universe according to natural laws, but does not interfere with humans.

Trias Politica: the idea that the power of the state should be divided into three different parts 

Free market economy: economic system with little or no government interference allowing competition between sellers, while the amount of buyers dictates the size of the market.

Salon: meetings where members of the upper class would meet and have scientists and philosophers speak about their work and ideas 

Encyclopedie (encyclopedia): a collection of knowledge on as many subjects as possible

Different from the Scientific Revolution 

During the Scientific Revolution, scientists tried to use scientific methods to explain the working of the world, nature, the universe.

This was revolutionary, but it was mainly applied to sciences. Ordinary people did not see any changes to their lives.

The Enlightenment continued to evolve from these new scientific views, theories and methods. The difference here is that 18th century thinkers used the methods of the Scientific Revolution, but they tried to apply them on other topics, such as politics, economy, religion and social issues.

They believed that if they, like the scientists before them, could find strict “natural laws” to explain the workings of the economy, or politics, that they could “enlighten” the world;  solve all problems and make the world a better place.

A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery, in which a lamp is put in the place of the sun, 1764-66, Joseph Wright of Derby, Derby Museums,

1a Which description best describes the term "revolution"?

1. a sudden change
2. a gradual change
3. a violent event
4. a political struggle

This positive outlook on life 

is called rational optimism. 

The philosophers also thought that every person has basic human rights, which had to be respected, even by kings. 

A bookseller in London in 1750. Because of the explosion of intellectual activity, publishing was ‘booming business’ these days. Drawing by an unknown artist.

Enlightenment and Religion

Enlightenment philosophers were generally opposed to the Catholic Church and organized religion in general. Especially in France, the center of the European Enlightenment, the Catholic Church was seen as an oppressor -- along with the nobility -- of individual freedom and reason because of its rules and insistence on being the only source of truth.

Yet enlightenment thinkers were not true atheists, (= people who do not believe in any God). Rather, most were deists -- they believed in a God that created the universe that is governed by natural laws. These laws made it unnecessary for God to further meddle in human affairs. 

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, in 1776.

The founders of the the declaration, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were both deists

Spreading the Enlightenment

 The use of the printing press made it possible to create the first mass media. Newspapers and pamphlets were quite popular, especially in the cities. The Enlightenment ideas were also discussed in public meeting places like coffeehouses and salons.

These salon meetings were meant for the upper class. People would host these meetings in the salons of their houses and invite scientists and philosophers to speak about their ideas and works. 

madame Geoffrin

a statue of Voltaire, who was in exile at that moment.

Baron de Montesquieu, whose idea of the Separation of Power (Trias Politica) is still being used in modern western democracies.

Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784). Painting by Louis-Michel van Loo (1767)

Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts) was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis Diderot and, until 1759, co-edited by Jean le Rond d'Alembert.

Can you name any famous Enlightenment
thinkers / philosophers?

The thinkers of the Enlightenment, influenced by the scientific revolutions of the previous century, believed in shedding the light of science and reason on the world in order to question traditional ideas and ways of doing things. The scientific revolution (based on empirical observation, and not on metaphysics or spirituality) gave the impression that the universe behaved according to universal and unchanging laws (think of Newton here). This provided a model for looking rationally on human institutions as well as nature.

The thinkers of the Enlightenment, influenced by the scientific revolutions of the previous century, believed in shedding the light of science and reason on the world in order to question traditional ideas and ways of doing things. 

The scientific revolution (based on empirical observation, and not on metaphysics or spirituality) gave the impression that the universe behaved according to universal and unchanging laws (think of Newton here). This provided a model for looking rationally on human institutions as well as nature.

The Enlightenment explained

4a. The Enlightenment movement was in favor of:

1. ignorance
2. rationality
3. intolerance
4. inequality

4b. The Enlightenment philosophers aimed to bring about progress in the world by:

1. religious ideas
2. revolution
3. rational ideas
4. spontaneous ideas

Voltaire

• wrote more than two thousand books and pamphlets on all sorts of topics
• was very critical towards the catholic church and the French king.
• because of this he was put in prison and later exiled from France
• his ideas were important in the French Revolution

website

John Locke

• He believed that "all people are created equal"
• All people have natural rights that nobody can take away, like: life, freedom and the right to own property
• He was against absolutism. He believed that a government is a social contract between the government and the people. And if a ruler is a bad ruler, the people have the right to overthrow him.

website

Montesquieu

• He is famous for his theory of the Separation of Powers (Trias Politica):
• The power of the state should never be in the hands of one person.
• therefore power should be split up into three seperate parts, being:
• the legislative (making laws), executive (carrying out the laws) and judicial (providing independent judgement) branch.
• his ideas are still used in most constitutions all over the world.

website

Adam Smith

• Scottish economist. Wrote the book "Wealth of Nations"
• Believed that the economy works best if there is Free Trade.
• A government should not interfere in the economy.
• He was against mercantilism.

website

• Influenced by the Low Countries
  
• Development of printing press
  
• Beginning of 18th century: The Review (Daniel Defoe), The Tatler and The Spectator (Steele and Addison)
  
• Broadsheet refers to the lay-out of the paper.
  
• The Times and The Observer (still important newspapers) first appeared in the last decade of the 18th century.
  

Broadsheet (newspaper)

Addison & Steele Answers to the assignments on Sir Roger de Coverley

• 1a A friend who is staying with Sir Roger for a while
  
• b While his name is not actually mentioned, it is probably Mr Spectator. We know very little about this character. What we do learn from this excerpt is that he is contemplative by nature, does not enjoy (strange) company much, and is a keen observer.
  
• c His anonymity and observations might well persuade the Spectator’s readers to readily identify with him.
  
• 2 He is described as highly empathic. He therefore ensures that neither he, nor the servants or other guests do anything which his guest would not like. Examples:
  
• • Guest’s mood is taken into consideration
  
• • Guest may retire and rise whenever he wishes
  
• • Guest may dine whenever he wishes
  
• • Guest need not be ‘entertaining’
  
• • Guest should not be annoyed by other guests
  
• • Other guests should not gaze at the guest
  
• 3 The servants do not want to leave at all; they stay as long as they can.
  
• 4 Care, respect and love. Dog and horse. 
• 5a They are moved to tears.
  
• b He inquires as to everyone’s health, before posing questions regarding his own business. This indicates his concern for the staff.