Englightenment


 * Please, insert your Enlightenment Essay beneath your STAPLES :)

Rousseau (1712-1778) S- N/A T- man in his natural state was happy and had very few needs; man has been corrupted by society; believed in a civil religion, a public religion that would benefit the entire state; what is best for all, was best for each individual; women were meant to stay at home and to take care of children A- music teacher P- the most stable government is an aristocracy; a monarchy is strongest but is only good when ruling a state with a large population; a dictatorship should only be used in times of emergency; the government is a necessary evil because it restricts people, yet it preserve's the people's rights and freedoms with law; the social contract (an agreement on the part of an entire society to be governmed by its general will) should be used L- the sovereign should exercise legislative power while the government exercises executive power E- N/A S- Father of Romanticism; low to middle-class French; had many different jobs; enjoyed solitude**

__ ** Jean-Jacques Rousseau ** __ During the eighteenth century in Europe, great Enlightenment thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed great philosophical ideas. As a young boy who constantly changed careers, Rousseau could not find a permanent place in the world until he turned to philosophy and writing. After he wrote many great philosophical books and essays that discussed mans relationship with society, government, and religion, such as //The Social Contract, The Discourse on Inequality,// and //Emile,// he became very famous and a highly-esteemed Enlightenment thinker. __Through his writing, Rousseau explained how society has corrupted man, how man and their government must work together in a social contract, and how man must use religion to benefit the state. __    As stated in one of his greatest works, //The Discourse on Inequality,// Rousseau believed that in their natural state, men had few needs and was very happy and content with life. They were isolated from other men, peaceful, and unaware of what would happen in the future; there was nothing to disturb or trouble them. However, when men came together, societies formed, reason developed, men became more aware of others, and men developed more needs. Men started comparing themselves to other men and needed to dominate each other to be happy. Especially when inequality among men arose, men fought each other for wealth and status. Eventually, the wealthy dominated the poor and tricked the poor into creating a political society that was supposed to secure their freedom and safety of the impoverished, but in actuality, ensured the domination of the rich. The desire for power demonstrated how society had corrupted man. Rousseau believed that everything should be done to benefit the entire state, not for personal gain. For example, Rousseau once chastised a group of scholars who desired and pursued knowledge for fame rather than social benefit. In his novel, //Emile//, Rousseau described that the ideal society was a civilization in which men educated themselves to be good citizens for the state and did not compare themselves to other men or try to control them. In his book //The Social Contract,// Rousseau claimed that man and their government could have the best relationship through a social contract, which was an agreement by the entire society to be ruled by its general will. According to Rousseau, what was best for everyone as a whole was best for each individual making up the entire society. He proposed that the best government for the people was a balance of powers between the citizens and the government officials—a participatory democracy. The sovereign, the group of all citizens, were to exercise legislative power by meeting in regular assemblies to create laws beneficial to the state, whereas, the government exercised executive power by carrying out daily business and enforcing the laws created by the sovereign. Although the government sometimes restricted the people’s freedom by chaining them to laws, the government’s primary responsibility was to preserve the natural rights of the sovereign. Therefore, the government was a necessary evil for men. As Rousseau himself said that, “ all ran to meet their chains thinking they secured their freedom, for although they had enough reason to feel the advantages of political establishment, they did not have enough experience to foresee its dangers” (//Second Discourse//). Rousseau also suggested the establishment of a tribunate, which was a group of people who represented the common people, to work with both the government and the sovereign to help them communicate and reach an agreement. By establishing the social contract in a state, Rousseau believed that the perfect relationship between man and government could be instituted. Furthermore, according to Rousseau, there were three types of religions and the people’s religion should be used to benefit the state. Rousseau believed that the people should practice a civil religion, which was a public religion, because it was most favorable to the people and encourages good citizenship. Also, a public religion could be used to unify the state and make them stronger against other nations. However, Rousseau also admired a second type of religion called the “religion of man,” which was a man’s personal religion. Rousseau believed that a man could practice his own personal religion privately as long as he continued to practice the civil religion in public. Also, Rousseau addressed another religion, Christianity, which he condemned because it created contradictions that prevented proper practices of the law. As Rousseau stated in //The Social Contract,// followers of Jesus would not make good citizens because when they went off to war, they did not have the desire and passion for victory, thus, they were more ready to die than to fight for their nation. Therefore, a civil religion was the best for the society. In conclusion, Rousseau believed that man was pure until tainted by contact with other man, the social contract was the solution to a strong relationship between man and government, and that a civil religion would benefit the society most. Like his many fellow Enlightenment thinkers, Rousseau developed his philosophical arguments in his numerous books that opened people’s minds to other ideas and made them think carefully about various issues such as man, society, government, and religion. He created a new understanding of life and was able to influence the thinking of many other people.

S- T- people are born with tabula rasa and the environment writes all over us. our knowledge comes from the environment and not reason. we have inalienable rights -- rights to life, liberty, and property. A- laws are necessary for freedom. P L E S
 * John Locke

Olympe de Gouges S - n/a T - good education for a woman of that time inalienable rights of women: 1. equality of the sexes

Isaac Newton S - invented calculus and accused Leibiz of plagiarism; mathematically proved universal law of gravitation, which he discovered and became the basis of classical mechanics, explained why the plantes didn't go in straight lines, but in ellipses, wrote about inertia, wrote "Principia" which explained all of his discoveries T- believed that God was "everywhere present" and was the natural force of the laws, saw the world as a machine, interested in alchemy, wrote more books on the Bible than sciences and math, refused sacraments, considered self a Christian, God governs all things A-N/A P- opposed the interference of politics in church and education, reluctant to share works with other scientists for fear of them taking credit for it, withdrew into seclusion when he is defeated, very quiet person L- government should not be comprised of only Catholics E- N/A S- born prematurely, 1669 became chair of math at Cambridge, 1693 held an administrative post as royal mint, 1699 became administrative master of the mint, 1703 became president of Royal Society, January 4, 1643 to March 31, 1727**