LOCKE+ROUSSEAU
IDENTIFY John Locke (clue: what did he write?)
English philosopher and physician who wrote "Essay Concerning Human Understanding"
Define laissez-faire. Tell not just what it means literally, but what it means practically, and how that looks when applied
French term which means "let it be"; the belief that the government/state should not interfere in economics
IDENTIFY the type of person called a philosophe (not philosopher)
One who "applies himself to the study of society with the purpose of making his kind better and happier". Philosophe is a French term used to describe an intellectual of the Enlightenment
the term Enlightenment thinkers used to describe the world as a giant machine
Newtonian world-machine
the belief that God exists, but doesn't interact and isn't personal
IDENTIFY Jean-Jacques Rousseau (clue: what did he believe about people?)
French philosopher who believed human beings are naturally good
Adam Smith and the Physiocrats were the founders of ________ ________.
________ was the leader of the Physiocrats.
Modern Economics.....A French doctor named François Quesnay
Montesquieu's system of checks and balances across three branches of government
separation of powers
IDENTIFY Voltaire
French writer well-known for his support of religious tolerance and criticism of Christianity; championed Deism; greatest figure of the Enlightenment
DESCRIBE Jean-Jacques Rousseau's belief on education
education should foster, not restrict, children's natural instincts
the title of the book which contained the best statement of laissez-faire (this will come up again in your future education; particularly when you study government, civics, &/or economics
Adam Smith's "Wealth of the Nations'
IDENTIFY Montesquieu AND HIS IDEAS
French nobleman who applied scientific method to politics; advocated for system of checks and balances called separation of powers, an idea he formed while analyzing England's constitution; wrote "The Spirit of the Laws"
IDENTIFY Denis Diderot AND his most famous contribution to the Enlightenment
French writer who condemned Christianity as fanatical and "worst religion"; wrote the first Encyclopedia // a 28-volume Encyclopedia or Classified Dictionary which he intended to "change the general way of thinking"; contained some good ideas (anti-slavery) and some bad ideas (anti-Christianity)
Summarize what is meant by "the Enlightenment".
a 1700s-era movement furthered by intellectuals who were greatly impressed with the achievements of the Scientific Revolution
two major works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (and the political beliefs which they described)
1. "Discourse on the Origins of the Inequality of Mankind" (people adopted laws to protect their private property and in the process became enslaved by the government) 2. "The Social Contract" (because societies are governed by its general will, anyone wishing to follow their own self-interests should be forced to abide by the general will)
The three basic roles Adam Smith believed government should have
1. it should protect society from invasion (the army); 2. it should defend its citizens from injustice (the police); 3. it should keep up certain public works, such as roads and canals, that private individuals could not afford
The three kinds of government, according to Montesquieu
1. republics, which are suitable for small states; 2. despotism, which is appropriate for large states; 3. monarchy, which is appropriate for moderate-sized states.
Four words which were common to the thinkers of the Enlightenment. (One is "reason". What, according to your textbook, are the three others?)
reason, natural law, hope, progress
What does "reason" mean to an Enlightenment thinker? There are three main phrases or summaries of reason.
"reason" meant to them 1. "the application of the scientific method to the understanding of all life" or 3/. "an appeal to facts" or 3. "applying rational criticism to everything, including religion and politics"
three ideas proposed by John Locke in his "Essay Concerning Human Understanding"
1. every person is born as a blank slate (tabula rasa) with a blank mind; 2. knowledge comes from our environment, not from heredity, so by changing the environment we can change people; 3. we learn from reason, not faith
FOUR beliefs of Adam Smith and the Physiocrats
// 1. belief in doctrine of "laissez-faire" // 2. belief in the major "natural law" of economics: individuals should be left free to pursue their own economic self-interest // 3. belief that the state should stay out of the lives of individuals // 4. belief that the state should in no way interrupt the free play of natural economic forces by imposing government regulations on the economy //
Montesquieu's most lasting contribution to political thought
system of checks and balances called separation of powers
Summarize two main beliefs of the Enlightenment.
1. the belief that society could be freed from past worthless traditions, especially religious ones, if it subjected itself to rational, scientific thinking // 2. the belief that in the same way Newton unlocked laws which governed the physical world, society could unlock natural laws and discover what governed politics, economics, justice, religion, and art
SUMMARIZE feminism during the Enlightenment. Who was most associated with the movement? What famous book was written during the movement? What ideas or arguments did feminism take on during this time?
Feminism = women's rights movement. In England at the time, women were seen as lesser, and were not members of the same elite societies and colleges or university as men. However, they were often educated outside of those institutions, and still contributed to scientific advances (particularly in the observational sciences such as astronomy) and had their ideas circulated in informal networks. Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer known as the founder of modern European feminism because of her book "Vindication of the Rights of Women". 1. if Enlightenment thinkers didn't want the government to rule over men, they should also not want men to rule over women; 2. if the Enlightenment is all about the reign of reason in human beings, and women have reason, then they are entitled to the same rights as men.