Enlightenment

Created by: Ben_with_a_Z
Created on: 16-12-23 15:34

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Enlightenment
- Introduction
  - Definition: Intellectual and cultural movement in the 17th and 18th centuries. Questions things such as feudalism
  - Emphasis on reason, science, individualism, and skepticism.
- Key thinkers
  - John Locke
    - Social contract theory
      - people live together in society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behaviour. - Two Treaties of Government
    - Natural Rights
      - “Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” - Two Treaties of Government
      - Thomas Hobbes
        "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness". US Declaration of Independence. Hobbes preached Natural rights are granted by God
    - Liberalism
      - "The liberty of man in society is to be under no legislative but that established by consent in the commonwealth, nor under the dominion of any will, or restraint or any law, but what the legislative shall enact, according to the true trust put in it". (Government by consent)
        Seen in in the US Declaration of Independence
  - Montesquieu
    - Separation of powers
      - “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty.” - The Spirit of Law
  - Voltaire
    - Advocacy for religious tolerance and freedom of speech.
- Capitalism
  - Led to non upper class wanting power in gov
  - Definition - Economic system with trade and industry are controlled by the private business owners, rather than state
  - Laissez Faire
    - Liberals originally believed in Laissez Faire because they thought it would lead to growth
      - Conservatives did not like as they owned lots of land at the time.
    - Adam Smith
      - Wealth of Nations, would act as "hidden hand" and would lead to prosperity and improved opportunities for all. To regulate this would bring the whole system tumbling down.
    - David Ricardo
      - Iron Law of Wages
        all attempts to improve the real income of workers were futile and that wages perforce would remain near the subsistence level.
- Revolutionary Liberalism
  - American Revolution (1775)
    - Aimed at overthrowing oppressive autocratic regimes, replacing it with GOV by consent
    - Revolutions were not concerned with individual liberty, more with liberty of society
      - French Revolution (1789)
        Aimed at overthrowing oppressive autocratic regimes, replacing it with GOV by consent
  - French Revolution (1789)
- Elements of early liberals
  - GOV can only infringe rights if consented, must be able to reclaim these rights at later dates (democracy)
  - All born equal, GOV must respect and encourage this
  - Most basic important rights are life and freedom. GOV should promote and protect freedom amongst citizens.
  - Power must come by popular support, without this is a breach of our natural rights
- Utilitarianism
  - "It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong".
    - Uses equations to calculate, positive benefits of actions have. Essentially more we benefit from an action (as a society) the more we should act that way
  - Bentham Ultimatum
    - Equations - is it possible to work and how much happiness an act can give?
    - Simplistic- Assumption the GOV could fill this role and total happiness by certain politics is misleading. No GOV for more than 70 years had ever secured a majority of role. Do they have mandate to improve happiness?
    - Anomalies - Theory argues more people happy better the act is. On small scale, civil wars or genocide. Societies persecute minorities and this makes them happy. According to the theory
    - Value- Assumes we know moral value of everything we do. For examples better handling back a value was dropped in the street, carrying old lady's shopping for her?

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Enlightenment

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