| History 122 | Enlightenment II |
I. Francois-Marie de Voltaire (1694-1778) A. changed his name from François-Marie Arouet B. educated by Jesuits C. became a poet and playwright D. trouble with the law E. went to England; learned English; studied the differences between France and England F. returned to France in 1728 G. the Marquise du Châtelet became his patron H. he wrote Philosophical Letters Concerning the English Nation (1734) in which he demonstrated the superiority of the English 1. religious toleration 2. middle class can gain powerful positions 3. not dominated by greedy church 4. make their poets and scientists national heroes
II. Denis Diderot (1713-84) A. son of a poor craftsman; educated by Jesuits B. working on his own philosophy; wrote erotic novels to pay the bills; landed him in jail C. got out of jail; began work on the Encyclopedia D. over 200 intellectuals contributed over 60,000 articles - making machinery with a lathe, cloth dyeing, various types of string instruments E. elaborate set of footnotes and references to confuse the censors F. eventually the monarchy shut down publication G. Diderot found a new publisher in the Netherlands
III. Adam Smith (1723-90) A. Scottish economist B. wanted to discover natural laws about how the economy works C. wrote Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) D. attacked the ideas of mercantilism E. came up with the idea of the "invisible hand" 1. people invest in industry because they want to acquire wealth 2. because a country's revenue is equal to the sum of the revenues of its industries, people are promoting the financial interests of the country 3. thus, no need for rulers to subscribe to mercantilism and impose trade restrictions 4. the government should stay out of the economy - laissez-faire: let it be; hands off F. warned against the rich getting richer
IV. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) A. women becoming more involved in public life 1. organizers of salons -- DOC 15 2. writers B. Lady Montagu read widely and traveled across Europe to Turkey C. desire for women to have access to education and public debate D. Writing Sample: The Nonsense of Common Sense (1738)
V. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) A. came to Paris from Geneva in the 1750s B. critical of the philosophes; books and salons weren't the answer to society's problems C. the answer could be found in politics; we must find the best form of government D. wrote the Social Contract (1762) 1. government should be based on a contract with the people 2. not an absolute monarchy 3. theoretical foundations of democracy 4. condemned by the parlement of Paris E. Rousseau left France for England - king George III became his patron
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