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The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason

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The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason Chapter The Enlightenment 16 and the Age of Reason Before You Read: Predicting Scan the title of the chapter and the lesson titles. Write three questions you think will be answered in the chapter. One example might be Why was this period called the Enlightenment? If you find the answer to one of your questions as you read, write it down in your notebook. British North Big Ideas About the Enlightenment American Colonies Government New ideas and beliefs can challenge a government’s authority and lead to change. In the mid-1500s, the Scientific Revolution began when scientists used reason to question accepted beliefs about nature. In the 1600s, Boston philosophers began to use reason to question old beliefs about aspects of society. This marked the beginning of the Enlightenment, Philadelphia a time that brought great changes to Western civilization. Integrated Technology INTERNET RESOURCES • Interactive Maps Go to ClassZone.com for • Interactive Visuals • WebQuest • Quizzes ATLANTIC • Starting with a Story • Homework Helper • Maps OCEAN • Research Links • Test Practice • Internet Activities • Current Events er 1689 1690 English Bill of John Locke publishes Rights is enacted. Two Treatises of L (William and Mary) Government. 1653 1661 1700s Taj Mahal is Emperor Kangxi comes West African kingdoms completed in India. to power in China. grow rich on slave trade. 530 p Notes: 20°W 10°W 0° 10°E20°E Cultural Centers, 1700s 0 125 250 miles 60°N 0 125 250 kilometers Uppsala Stockholm Edinburgh a Glasgow e North S c i Dublin Sea t l Copenhagen a B N W Cambridge Oxford E London S Greenwich Berlin Göttingen Leipzig ATLANTIC Paris 50°N OCEAN Prague Orléans Strasbourg Kraków Vienna Bordeaux Turin Padua Toulouse Leading academic centers Observatories Bologna Florence A d Madrid r i a Lisbon Barcelona t i c S Rome e a Seville Naples 40°N M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a Palermo 1750s 1762 1789 Enlightenment reaches L Catherine the 1776 Declaration of its height in France. Great begins her American colonies the Rights of Man L (Voltaire statue) reign in Russia. declare independence. adopted in France. 1722 1773 1788 Safavid dynasty Ali Bey, ruler of Eygpt, Britain establishes collapses in Persia. is killed by rebels. a colony in Australia. 531 PRINTED @ 85% Background: For centuries, European monarchs ruled with absolute power. They claimed their authority came from God. This was called the divine right of kings. Then, in 1689, England adopted the Bill of Rights. It limited the power of the monarch. But other countries in Europe still had rulers with absolute power. In the mid-1700s, new ideas about government began sweeping through Europe. As you read the following story, imagine that you are hearing a conversation about life at this time. It was a time, called the Enlightenment, when old ways were questioned but new ways were untried. And sometimes supporting new ideas was dangerous. The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau L 532 Starting with a Story ndré is a university student in France in 1762. He is sitting in a coffeehouse in Paris, talking to a friend. A strong, rich smell of coffee A and a buzz of political conversation reach him from nearby tables. André and his friend Louis begin talking about a new book called The Social Contract. It was written by the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (roo•SOH). Louis attends a Catholic university. He says, “Do you believe it! This Rousseau is challenging the idea that kings have a God-given right to rule. Can you imagine a government in which the king’s power is questioned? Can you imagine France without Louis XV?” Sunlight streams through the coffeehouse windows, and André feels its warmth on his back. “But really, it’s an interesting idea,” André replies. “Don’t you think people have the right to freedom? And if they do, shouldn’t that right be the same for all people, rich and poor? Why shouldn’t the people have power to choose a government that protects their rights?” Louis seems impatient. “Well, even if I agreed, how exactly would that happen? You can’t just ask the king to stop being king, you know. The nobility won’t give up their titles just because Rousseau thinks they should. Are you saying the people should risk their lives to overthrow the king and the nobility?” Both suddenly look around. They have heard that the coffeehouse has royal spies. The spies hope to catch people who threaten the government and to throw them in jail. André stirs his coffee quietly. He wonders if a political storm is brewing in France. But he is afraid to say more now. How might these new ideas change the way the French want to be governed? 1. READING: Characterization What character traits does André show that might represent the spirit of the Enlightenment? 2. WRITING: Persuasion Imagine that you have grown up in France in the mid-1700s, governed by an absolute monarchy. The only society you have known is one of unequals—noble and commoner, rich and poor. Write a paragraph explaining how you think you might like to be governed now that you have learned of Rousseau’s ideas. 533 Lesson 1 MAIN IDEAS Culture The Enlightenment arose from the belief that reason could help people understand their social and political world. Culture European philosophers used reason to criticize social and political institutions. Culture Women used reason to argue in favor of equal rights and helped spread Enlightenment ideas. TAKING NOTES L John Locke John Locke’s Reading Skill: Finding Main Ideas many writings influenced Enlightenment thinkers As you read each section of this lesson, look in Europe, as well as the for essential information about the main ideas. authors of the Declaration Record the information in a cluster diagram like of Independence in America. the one shown below. Roots Philosophers The Enlightenment Ideas Women Skillbuilder Handbook, page R2 Words to Know Understanding the following words will help you read this lesson: consent permission superstition a belief hostess a woman who (page 536) in magic or chance receives or entertains The people would not give (page 537) guests (page 538) their consent to a government Superstition, not reason, The hostesses of the that treated them unfairly. guided their behavior. salons in Paris were well- mannered, charming, and intelligent. 534 • Chapter 16 TERMS & NAMES Enlightenment The natural rights philosophe Enlightenment salon Build on What You Know Have you ever questioned other people’s ideas or beliefs? Well, that’s what scientists did during the Scientific Revolution. And that’s what philosophers would do during the period known as the Enlightenment. Beginnings of the Enlightenment ESSENTIAL QUESTION Why did the Enlightenment begin? Scientists found new truths about nature by experimenting and Connect to Today using reason. So philosophers began using reason to seek truths Oxford University about human nature. Because they wanted to enlighten, or shine Oxford University, in a light on, this new way of finding out about the world came to England, was attended be called the Enlightenment. The period also is known as the Age by Enlightenment of Reason. The Enlightenment gained so much force in the mid- thinker John Locke in 1700s that it destroyed old beliefs and led to the 1600s. M lasting changes in society and government. Roots of the Enlightenment The respect for reason can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Scholars in these classical cultures gained knowledge through observation, logic, and reasoning. They also believed in the worth of the individual. As Christianity spread during the Middle Ages, faith became more important than reason. But Christianity did introduce the idea that all people were equal in the eyes of God. Equality became a key feature of Enlightenment thought. Scholars rediscovered the writings of Greece and Rome during the Renaissance. Once again, a person’s ability to reason and the importance of the individual were valued. Later, the Reformation appeared to approve the right of an individual to challenge the authority of the Catholic Church to put itself between God and a believer. 535 John Locke (1632–1704) John Locke’s questioning ways began early. “From the time that I knew anything,” Locke wrote, “I found myself in a storm.” At Oxford University, Locke did not accept the opinions of authorities. He wanted to draw his own conclusions based on his experience and reasoning. Locke later became an aide to an important government official. He met many men active in public life. He often invited them to debate science or religion. These debates may have led Locke to propose one of the Enlightenment’s most revolutionary ideas. He said that humans were not born with basic ideas, as was thought, but learned by experience. John Locke The English philosopher John Locke set the stage for much of the Enlightenment debate in the late 1600s. Locke did not oppose monarchies. But in his writings, he disagreed with the divine right of kings—the claim that they ruled by the authority of God. Locke wrote that the power of government came from people, not from God or from a ruler. He believed that people gave their consent to be governed. In return, the government was bound to protect what he called the people’s natural rights. People were born, Locke said, with the rights to life, liberty, and property. He argued that people had a right to revolt if a ruler failed to protect these rights. What was the Enlightenment, and what were its roots? European Philosophers ESSENTIAL QUESTION Why did European philosophers use reason to criticize social and political institutions? Thinkers known as philosophes (FIHL•uh•SAHF) which is French for philosophers, began applying the scientific method to social problems.
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