Enlightenment &

Scientific Revolution

Thomas HobbesBelieved that all humans were

wicked & selfishLife was “solitary, poor, nasty,

brutish & short”wrote LeviathanSocial Contract:– people gave up rights for

strong rulers– in return, they received order

& law– believed that a Absolute

Monarchy was best type of Gov’t

John Locke Exact opposite of HobbesBelieved that people had the ability

to govern themselvesFavored self government“Natural” rights that each person

was born with:– life, liberty & property– Government’s job was to

protect those rights– if gov’t failed, people had right

to overthrow it.– Two Treatises on Government

Voltaire • Most famous of the Philosophes

“I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it”.

attacked the clergy, government, & aristocracy

Wrote over 70 Books

Rousseau“Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”

• civilization corrupted man’s natural goodness

• early man had enjoyed a State of Nature

• civilized man destroyed people’s freedom with unjust laws

Wrote: Social Contract– was an agreement among

free individuals to create a society and gov’t

– ALL people were equal– titles of nobility should be

abolished

Cesare BeccariaLaws were to preserve social

order, not avenge crimes• Against torture & cruel or

usual punishments• For speedy trials• punishment should fit crime• abolished capital

punishment• gov’t should seek the

greatest good for the greatest number of people

Baron de Montesquieu• Believed England’s Gov’t was best.

• Wrote: On the Spirit of Laws• Power was divided among

different parts of their gov’t:• Separation of Powers by

branch: executive power, legislative power, judicial power

• Checks & Balances: “Power should be a check to power”

Enlightened Women• Mary Wollstonecraft – A Vindication of the Rights of

Women• believed women should have

same rights as men

Scientific Revolution

Nicolaus Copernicus

Johannes Kepler

• Orbits are Elliptical in shape

• proved mathematically that Copernicus’ ideas were correct

Galileo

Galileo Galilei

• Used telescope to study the heavens (1609)

• Observed that Jupiter had 4 moons

• Agreed with Copericus• Law of falling objects

• Came into conflict with Church over his work

• Stood trial at an inquisition in Rome

• under threat of torture recanted his work.

Francis Bacon & Rene Descartes “Founders of the Scientific Method

Sir Isaac Newton

Concluded that all objects were affected by the same forces

• wrote: Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy

• physical laws of motion• Theories of gravity

Anders Celsius & Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Robert Boyle & Joseph Priestly(Father of modern Chemistry) (“found” oxygen)