The European ENLIGHTENMENT in the 17th and 18th Century followed after the RENAISSANCE. This 2nd birth was the AGE OF REASON & THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD, CRITICAL THOUGHT & SECULARISM which in turn paved the way for the FRENCH REVOLUTION THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION & THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
If the Renaissance was a looking back to revive a classic past - the Enlightenment was a looking forward to create a better future.
'SAPERE AUDE'
dare to know
General
1. At this time in Europe the Catholic Church was still the most powerful cultural institution in society controling not just all spiritual matters of the after life, but physical matters on Earth. This was to be challenged by this movement.
2. It was an age of intellectual curiosity and philosphical enquiry that extended humanism as a counter force to oppresive church doctrine.
3. The enlightenment advanced the importance of human progress in society with liberty, democracy, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government and the separation of church and state.
4. It eventually ended slavery in Europe and the idea of absolute monarchy (French Revolution).
5. It championed the scientific method and reductionism to reveal facts.
6. The American Declaration of Independance was based on Enlightenment ideas.
7. It emphasised logic and critical thinking over blind superstition and faith.
8. It encouraged questioning and differences in thought and philosophy.
9. Enlightenment thinking was linear (we can make progress- things will get better) as opposed to the cyclic (medieval thinking that the world moved between good and bad times, health and sickness, peace and war hunger and famine)
So what caused this energetic revolutionary movement in mental activity ?
COFFEE
Coffee fueled intense discussions in the salons and cafes of Paris. It was introduced to the Netherlands Holland early in 18th century and the first cafe was in Venice in 1629.
Also chocolate cacao importation from the new world Mexico.
Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador wrote in 1519 that chocolate is "the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.” wired
9 KEY FIGURES and their main CONTRIBUTIONS
Educators
Denis DIDEROT 1713 - 1784
The ENCYCLOPÉDIE - (an early version of google) the idea of bringing together a wide range of information
so people could access all knowledge. The WIKIPEDIA of its age.
Scientists
Francis BACON 1561 - 1626
EMPIRISCISM, THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD,
Introduced scientific research based on
experimentation and observation.
Galileo GALILEI 1564 - 1652
The TELESCOPE - proved Copernicus to be true with observations from his telescope.
Investigated and tried by the Inquisition.
Issac NEWTON 1642 - 1726
LAWS OF MOTION, GRAVITY, CALCULUS, PRINCIPIA, NATURE OF LIGHT THE PRISM,
Established fundamental laws of
Newtonian physics.
Nicolaus COPERNICUS 1473 - 1543
HELIOCENTIC SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL
Perhaps the major paradigm shift in thinking that challenged the
Church's cosmological view.
Political thinkers / philosophers
John LOCKE 1632 - 17O4
NATURAL RIGHTS OF MAN, GOVERNMENTS DRAW THE RIGHT TO GOVERN FROM THE PEOPLE, DEMOCRACY, PEOPLE ARE BASICALLY GOOD, RULE OF LAW
Locke expanded on humanism and made it into a political thought. The idea of a Liberal Democracy.
This challenged the ruling monarchy and eventually led to revolutions.
VOLTAIRE 1694 - 1778
POLEMISIST, SATIRICAL WRITER, FREEDOM OF SPEACH
Advocate of civil liberties and injustices through his 2OOO books. Famous quote:
'I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it' - freedom of speach
Jean Jacques ROUSSEAU 1712 - 1788
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT,
He believed that imperfect institutions currupted mankinds natural goodness. He evolved the cause of humanism to understand that their was a developmental side to mankind. He believed that governments should put fewer limits on people, so individuals could succeed in life.
Scientist / Philosophers
René DESCARTES
COGITO ERGO SUM, CARTISIAN DUALISM,
The insight that - 'I THINK ... THERFORE I AM'
He put forward the idea that mind & body exist
seperately which influenced future western medicine.
As a mathematician he invented the idea of positional
co ordinates on the x and y axis of a graph. This provided the basis for Newtons calculus, and information graphics.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
THE INQUISITION
To preserve their control over matters physical on Earth the Church responed to this new scientific method with the INQUISITION.
An instituition within the Catholic Church to oppose Heresy (offence against canon law).
An ecclesiastical tribunal set up to try Heretics, who were often tortured (and sometimes killed eg GIORDARNO BRUNO in 16OO ) to renounce their beliefs.
Campo di Fiori in Rome where Bruno was burnt at the stake for heresy
To have new ideas and think for yourself at this time was a courageous act.
ASSIGNMENT
EXPLORE THE PATTERNS THAT CONNECT WITHIN THIS AGE
USING
CURIOSITY - COMMUNICATION - CREATIVITY & COMPLEXITY
OF THE TIMES
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