1. AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
(AGE OF REASON)

2. AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
OR SIMPLY
THE ENLIGHTENMENT OR
AGE OF REASON
WAS ACULTURAL
MOVEMENT OF
INTELLECTUALS IN 18TH-
CENTURY EUROPE, THAT
SOUGHT TO MOBILIZE
THE POWER OF REASON,
IN ORDER TO REFORM
SOCIETY AND ADVANCE
KNOWLEDGE

3. THE WORLD OF THE OLD REGIME
 BUILT ON TRADITION
 WORLD OF HIERARCHY, PRIVILEGE AND
INEQUALITY
 ALLIED WITH THE CHURCH

4. THE PHILOSOPHES
 18TH CENTURY FRENCH
INTELLECTUALS
 INTEREST IN
ADDRESSING A BROAD
AUDIENCE
 COMMITTED TO
REFORM
 CELEBRATED THE
SCIENTIFIC
REVOLUTION
 SCIENCE APPLIED TO
SOCIETY

5. THE PROBLEM OF CENSORSHIP
 THE ATTEMPT OF
THE OLD REGIME
TO CONTROL NEW
THINKING
 PUBLISHERS AND
WRITERS
HOUNDED BY
CENSORS
 OVER 1000
BOOKSELLERS AND
AUTHORS
IMPRISONED IN
THE BASTILLE IN
THE EARLY 1700’S

6. THE ROLE OF THE SALON
(GATHERING)
A READING IN THE SALON OF
MADAME GEOFFRIN, 1755

7. FAMOUS ENLIGHTENMENT
THINKERS

8. JOHN LOCKE
(1632 –1704)
 KNOWN AS THE “FATHER
OF LIBERALISM”
 AN ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER AND
PHYSICIAN
 “TABULA RASA”
 OPPOSED THE DIVINE RIGHT OF
KINGS
 NATURAL RIGHTS (LIFE AND
FREEDOM)
 “THE GOVERNMENT WAS BOUND
TO ITS CONSTITUENTS TO
PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS, AND ON
THE OCCASION THAT IT FAILED,
THE CITIZENS COULD REPLACE IT
WITH A NEW ONE”

9. DENIS DIDEROT
(1713 –1784)
 A FRENCH PHILOSOPHER
, ART CRITIC, AND
WRITER
 BEST KNOWN FOR
SERVING AS CO-
FOUNDER AND CHIEF
EDITOR OF AND
CONTRIBUTOR TO
THE ENCYCLOPÉDIE.

10. ENCYCLOPEDIA
 ULTIMATE STRENGTH OF
THE PHILOSOPHES LAY
IN THEIR NUMBERS,
DEDICATION AND
ORGANIZATION
 WRITTEN BETWEEN
1751-1772
 ATTEMPTED TO
ILLUSTRATE ALL HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE
 EMPHASIS ON
PRACTICAL SCIENCE

11. ENCYCLOPEDIA
 DESIRE TO CHANGE
THE “GENERAL WAY OF
THINKING”
 GREATER KNOWLEDGE
LEADS TO HUMAN
PROGRESS
 INALIENABLE RIGHTS
AND THE SOCIAL
CONTRACT
 KNOWLEDGE IMPROVES
GOODNESS
"FIGURATIVE SYSTEM OF HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE",

12. BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
(1689-1755)
 A FRENCH SOCIAL
COMMENTATOR
AND POLITICAL THINKER
 HE IS FAMOUS FOR HIS
ARTICULATION OF THE
THEORY OF SEPARATION
OF POWERS
 POWER MUST CHECK
POWER
 THE SPIRIT OF THE LAWS
(1748)

13. FRANÇOIS-MARIE AROUET
[VOLTAIRE]
(1694 –1778)
 A FRENCH ENLIGHTENMENT
WRITER, HISTORIAN
AND PHILOSOPHER
 FAMOUS FOR HIS ADVOCACY OF
CIVIL LIBERTIES,
INCLUDING FREEDOM OF
RELIGION, FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION, FREE
TRADE AND SEPARATION OF
CHURCH AND STATE.

14. JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
(1712-1778)
 A GENEVAN PHILOSOPHE
R, WRITER, AND
COMPOSER OF 18TH-
CENTURY ROMANTICISM
OF FRENCH EXPRESSION.
 “THE SOCIAL CONTRACT”
(1762) AND THE
“GENERAL WILL”

15. “THE NOBLEST WORK IN EDUCATION IS TO MAKE A
REASONING MAN, AND WE EXPECT TO TRAIN A YOUNG
CHILD BY MAKING HIM REASON! THIS IS BEGINNING AT
THE END; THIS IS MAKING AN INSTRUMENT OF A RESULT.
IF CHILDREN UNDERSTOOD HOW TO REASON THEY
WOULD NOT NEED TO BE EDUCATED.”
–ROUSSEAU, EMILE.