Week 7 HIST 104
The Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution
Galileo Galilei: An Italian scientist who improved the telescope and supported the idea that the Earth
orbits the Sun (heliocentrism). This challenged the Church’s teachings and got him into trouble.
Voltaire: A French Enlightenment thinker who believed in freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and
criticizing injustice. He used sharp wit to attack corrupt leaders and the Church.
Montesquieu: A French Enlightenment thinker who believed in freedom of speech, religious tolerance,
and criticizing injustice. He used sharp wit to attack corrupt leaders and the Church.
The Spirit of the Laws: A book written by Montesquieu. In it, he explains the importance of separating
government powers and checks and balances to protect people's freedom.
Diderot’s Encyclopedia: A massive book collection created by Denis Diderot to gather
and spread knowledge on science, philosophy, and ideas. It helped spread
Enlightenment thinking across Europe.
Salons: Gatherings, often hosted by wealthy women in their homes, where intellectuals, writers, and
philosophers would discuss new ideas about politics, science, and art.
Belief in progress: The Enlightenment idea that humanity can improve over time through education,
science, and reason. People believed they could solve problems and build a better future.
Laissez-faire (free market) : An economic idea that governments should not interfere in business. It
means "leave it alone" in French and supports free markets and limited government control.
Anti-clericalism: Opposition to the political power and influence of the Church. Many Enlightenment
thinkers criticized how religious leaders controlled society and limited freedom.
Wollstonecraft: Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer who argued that women should have the same
rights and education as men. She’s considered one of the first feminists.
Romanticism: An artistic and cultural movement that came after the Enlightenment. It focused on
emotions, nature, imagination, and the beauty of individual feelings rather than logic and reason.
Jean Jacques Rousseau : A French philosopher who believed people are naturally good but society
corrupts them. He thought governments should follow the "general will" of the people.
The Social Contract: A book by Rousseau. It says people agree to form governments by giving up some
freedoms to protect their rights, but the government must follow the will of the people.
Noble savage: Rousseau’s idea that people living in a natural state, without modern society, are pure and
good. Civilization, he believed, made people greedy and selfish.
Q1: What can you tell about the intellectual origins of the French Enlightenment?
The French Enlightenment was influenced by earlier ideas from the Scientific Revolution, where
thinkers like Galileo and Newton used observation and reason to understand the natural world. These
ideas inspired philosophers to apply the same methods to society and politics.
Other important sources were:
English thinkers like John Locke, who argued for natural rights and government by consent.
Classical ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome about democracy and citizenship.
The growing criticism of the Church’s power and absolute monarchy, especially in France.
The success of scientific methods encouraged belief in progress, reason, and human
improvement.
Q2: What was the Enlightenment and how did it influence Western social, political, and economic
thinking?
The Enlightenment was a movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that promoted reason, science,
individual rights, and freedom of thought. Thinkers (called philosophes) questioned old traditions and
believed society could improve through logic and education.
Its influence:
Social: Encouraged ideas of equality, human rights, and education for all.
Political: Inspired revolutions (like the French and American Revolutions), challenged kings’
absolute power, and promoted democracy and the idea that government should serve the people.
Economic: Introduced ideas like laissez-faire capitalism, promoted by thinkers like Adam
Smith, calling for less government control in markets and encouraging free trade.
