The Enlightenment Thinkers

CREATING FLASHCARDS Using two sheets of paper, fold into quarters Cut along the lines so you have 8 total blank flashcards You will only need 6 cards, so you can keep the extra 2 or give them to others Number the cards 1-6; On card #1, write your name and period in the bottom left corner At the top of #1, write “Enlightenment Thinkers Flashcards,” then write the definition On card #2-6, write the info on one side only!

THE ENLIGHTENMENT WHAT DOES IT MEAN? A philosophical movement in Europe starting in the 1700s. It promoted the belief that a person could use scientific thinking and natural law to both study and change society. WHERE DID IT COME FROM? In the 1500s and 1600s in Europe, scientists began explaining planetary motion and the laws of physics. This created the foundation for the scientific method and modern science. This era is known as the Scientific Revolution.

THE KEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT THINKING IS THE BELIEF IN NATURAL LAW Natural law are rules that are discovered through the use of reason. Using reason means one will gather evidence/facts and reach a conclusion. (For example, the laws of gravity). During the Enlightenment, philosophers used natural law to define human behavior, not just for scientific discoveries

NOTE-TAKING TEMPLATE: For each of the 5 cards, fill in the info on one side

NAME OF ENLIGHTENMENT THINKER WRITING:

BELIEFS:

QUOTE:

BORN:

THOMAS HOBBES WRITING: THE LEVIATHAN

BORN: England 1588

BELIEFS •

Democracy would never work

•

People are naturally wicked and selfish

• Absolute

monarchy is the best government

QUOTE “Humans are driven by a perpetual and restless desire for power that ceases only in death.”

JOHN LOCKE WRITING: Two Treatises On Civil Government

BORN: Bristol, England 1632

BELIEFS •Gov’t

should operate w/ the consent (permission) of the people

•

Gov’ts are formed to protect the right to life, freedom, and property

•

People have the right to rebel and form new gov’t

QUOTE “The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only have the law of nature for his rule.”

BARON DE MONTESQUIEU WRITING:

Persian Letters and On the Spirit of Laws

BORN: Bordeaux, France 1689

BELIEFS •

Best gov’t has power balanced b/t 3 branches

•

Monarchy w/ limited powers makes countries stable and secure

•

Greed and corruption occur in branch of gov’t with all the power

QUOTE “When the law-making and lawenforcing powers are united in the same person...there can be no liberty.”

JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU WRITING: The Social Contract

BORN: Geneva, Switzerland 1712

BELIEFS •

People are born good, independent and compassionate

•

People will naturally live happily and peacefully if left to govern themselves

•

Direct Democracy preserves people’s freedoms

QUOTE “Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT WRITING: Vindication of the Rights of Women

BORN: London, England 1759

BELIEFS •

Opposed to monarchy

•

Education needed to perfect human nature

• All

of society would benefit from equality of men and women

QUOTE “Society will not be whole until the last king is strangled with the guts of the last priest.”

COMPLETING THE CARDS Be sure you have filled in all the info from the slides on one side only On the blank side, you are going to draw a visual representation of one of the ideas of each thinker You need to be thorough and use the entire side of the card; you must use color!

BARON DE MONTESQUIEU WRITING:

Persian Letters and On the Spirit of Laws

BORN: Bordeaux, France 1689

BELIEFS • Best gov’t has power balanced b/t 3 branches

• Monarchy w/ limited powers makes countries stable and secure

• Greed and corruption occur in branch of gov’t with all the power

QUOTE “When the law-making and law-enforcing powers are united in the same person...there can be no liberty.”