Chapter 6: Enlightenment and Revolution, 1550-1789

1. Chapter 6: Enlightenment and Revolution, 1550-1789 “The Age of Reason”

2. Where it happened… • Begins in Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, & Portugal. • Enlightenment Principles motivate the Founding Fathers and form the basis of political thought in the United States.

3. Causes of the Enlightenment: The Renaissance Spirit -14th-17th Century Europe--Art, humanism, progress, movement of ideas (printing press), questioning the dominance of the Catholic Church Rejection of the medieval view that life was only a preparation for the afterlife. Exploration of the Physical World –The Age of Exploration and the Scientific Revolution

4. Chapter 6, Section 1The Scientific Revolution Prior to the 1500’s scholars decided what was true or false by referring to an ancient Greek or Roman author or to the Bible. Few European scholars questioned the scientific ideas of the ancient thinkers or the church. General belief was that the earth was an unmoving object located at the center of the universe=Geocentric theory supported by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle.

5. A New Way of Thinking Beginning in the mid-1500’s, a few scholars published works challenging the ideas of the church and ancient thinkers. European exploration fueled a great deal of scientific research. Navigators needed better instruments and geographic measurements. Scientists began to look more closely at the world around them. Their observations did not match ancient beliefs. They found that they had reached the limit of the classical world’s knowledge.

6. Check for Understanding Work with those around you to answer the following questions. On what continent did the Enlightenment begin? What made Enlightenment scholars different from ancient scholars? Would you have been an Enlightenment scholar? Why or Why not?

7. The Heliocentric Theory Sun at the Center The first major challenge to accepted scientific thinking was the questioning of the geocentric theory.-What was the geocentric theory? Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus became interested in an old Greek idea that the sun stood at the center of the universe. After careful study, he reasoned that that stars, the earth, and the other planets revolved around the sun (heliocentric theory).

8. Galileo’s Discoveries • Galileo dropped stones of different weightsoff of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy) to test Aristotle’s theory. Galileo disproved theories of Aristotle. In one study, he found that heavy objects and lighter objects fall at the same speed. Galileo built his own telescope (without ever seeing one) and discovered that the earth’s moon had a rough and uneven surface, shattering Aristotle’s theory that the moon and starts were made of a pure and perfect substance.

9. “Galileo’s Head Was on the Block” Galileo’s findings frightened both Catholic and Protestant leaders because they went against the Church. If people believed the Church was wrong about this, they could question other church teachings as well. In 1633, the pope angrily summoned Galileo to Rome to stand trial before the Inquisition (a Roman Catholic tribunal for discovery and punishment of heresy). Galileo retracted his support of Copernicus but was still arrested.

10. Reflection & Debate Imagine that you are Galileo in the year 1633. You are standing before a court who wishes to condemn you for defending the ideas of Copernicus. Will you defend Copernicus knowing that it will lead to your arrest? Describe why or why not in 5-7 sentences. Be prepared to share your response to the class.

11. Connect to Today In groups of 2-3, read the Connect to Today box (The Vatican Clears Galileo). Do you agree with the panel’s conclusion?

12. The Scientific Method The revolution in scientific thinking gave rise to the scientific method: a logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas It begins with a problem or question arising from an observation Scientists next form a hypothesis, or unproved assumption. This is then tested through experimentation. Then scientists analyze and interpret their data to reach a new conclusion, which either confirms or disproves the hypothesis.

13. Hmmm….

14. Francis Bacon & René Descartes These two scholars advanced the scientific method. Turn to page 167. Read silently from Francis Bacon to the end of the section on page 168. Working with partners, think about what is most important about these 2 men. Be prepared to share your answers.

15. Isaac Newton Newton’s great discovery was that the same force ruled the motions of all matter on earth and in space. He disproved the idea of Aristotle that one set of physical laws governed earth and another set governed the rest of the universe. Law of Gravitation: every object in the universe attracts every other object. The degree of the attraction depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between them.

16. Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy Newton published this book in 1687. The universe he described was like a giant clock whose parts all worked together perfectly in ways that could be expressed mathematically. Newton believed that God was the creator of this orderly universe, the clockmaker who had set everything in motion. • What do you think about Newton’s clockmaker theory?

17. The Scientific Revolution Spreads New tools and instruments help scientists make precise observations (microscope). The study of human anatomy leads to a greater understanding of the body and disease (smallpox vaccine). End Lesson 1

18. Chapter 6, Section 2:The Enlightenment in Europe The influence of the Scientific Revolution spread beyond the world of science. Philosophers admired Newton because he had used reason to explain the laws of governing nature. People began to look for laws governing human behavior as well.

19. Revolution in Intellectual Activity Philosophers hoped to apply reason and the scientific method to all aspects of society—government, religion, economics, and education. In this way, the ideas of the scientific revolution paved the way for a new movement called The Enlightenment, or The Age of Reason, which reached its height in the mid-1700s. This age of reason was marked by a revolution in intellectual activity which changed Europeans view on government & society.

20. 2 Views on Government Emerge The Enlightenment started from key ideas put forth by 2 English political thinkers of the 1600’s: Thomas HobbesJohn Locke 2 Views on Government Writing Assignment

21. Check for Understanding: • Which thinker would be more likely to agree with this political cartoon? In John Locke’s mind, what was the purpose of government? In Thomas Hobbes mind, what was the purpose of government? Project Instructions

22. The Philosophes The Enlightenment reached its height in France in the mid-1700s. Paris became a meeting place for people who wanted to discuss politics and Enlightenment ideas. Social critics of the time were known as Philosophes (French world for philosophers). Philosophes believed that people could apply reason to all aspects of life (like Newton with science).

23. Advocating for Reason 5 concepts at the core of their philosophy… Reason-truth could be discovered through reason/logical thinking. Reason=absence of intolerance, bigotry, or prejudice in one’s thinking. Nature-nature is good and reasonable. Natural laws of economics and politics existed just as natural laws existed for science. Happiness-person who lived by natural laws would find happiness. Philosophes were impatient with the notion that people should accept misery in this world to find joy in the afterlife. They wanted well-being on earth. Progress-The Philosophes were the 1st in Europe to believe in progress for society. They felt that society and humankind could be perfected. Liberty-In France, there were many restrictions on speech, religion, trade, & personal travel. The Philosophesbelieved that through reason, society could be set free. ***Remember, freedom is a modern concept!!

24. Let’s Vote Take a minute to quietly reflect on the 5 concepts explored in the previous slide. Which concept do you value the most and why?

25. Major Understandings Enlightenment writers challenged long-held ideas about society, such as divine right of monarchs, union of Church and state, & unequal social classes. They found these things unreasonable when examined using reason. Enlightenment writers & thinkers were NOT revolutionaries. They lived in a world of ideas that transformed our modern world over time. Major Beliefs: Progress--through reason, a better society was possibleTolerance--freedom of religionIndividuality—celebration and belief in the individual as opposed to the Church or Royalty

26. Culture of the Enlightenment The Enlightenment was primarily a community of thought where people sought knowledge. Diderot , a leading philosophe created the Encyclopedia, an attempt to bring together all the most current and enlightened thinking. The first volume was published in 1751, soon to be banned by the French government and Catholic Church for undermining royal authority, encouraging a spirit of revolt, and fostering moral corruption and irreligion.

27. The Spreading of Ideas… People gathered at salons (gathering’s held in drawing room’s of the wealthy) to discuss their thoughts and watch performances. An intellectual community formed as the educated of Europe interacted with one another. These thinkers then wrote pamphletsand books. The middle class was exposed to Enlightenment thinking through newspapers and magazines Salon Activity

28. Art & Literature Enlightenment ideals of order and reason were reflected in the arts—music, literature, painting, and architecture. Baroque (grand, ornate) neoclassical (simple, elegant—borrows ideas from classical Greece and Rome) Individuality reflected in paintings (see page 180) Considered the classical period in music—Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn Birth of the modern novel; Use of satire (Jonathon Swift Activity)

29. Enlightenment & Monarchy The philosophes tried to convince monarchs to rule justly. Some embraced the new ideas and made reforms that reflected the Enlightenment spirit (like Catherine the Great, picture above). They became known as enlinghtened despots (despot means absolute ruler). graphic organizer