WORLD HISTORY
4/26/15
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What does the quote, “I think therefore I am” mean? Take a few guesses
ACT Word: Superfluous (adj.) beyond what is needed, not necessary.
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An 18th century European philosophical movement that stressed using reason over blind faith and obedience.
The Enlightenment, Video
Vocabulary
Enlighten: to give information or understanding to; instruct
Reason: clear and ordered thinking Superstition: An irrational belief that an
object, action or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
Tyranny: Form of government in which a ruler has unrestricted absolute control
So here’s the scoop. . .
A change that occurred during both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment was a new questioning spirit and attitude emerged.
Main Beliefs
The government should be derived from the governed.
All human beings are born free and equal with a right to life and liberty. It is the duty of government to protect these natural rights, or rights a person is born with, of its citizens.
Kings DO NOT have a divine right to rule.
The Enlightenment, VIDEO
The writers said…
Writers of the Enlightenment wanted to changed
the relationship between people and their government.
believed the government decisions should be based on the laws of nature and reason.
Path to the Enlightenment
18th century philosophical movement Intellectuals were impressed with
Scientific Revolution Reason—application of scientific
method to understanding life
Wanted progress in society
Reason, natural law, hope, progress
Bacon and Descartes
Put an emphasis on experimentation and reason
Descartes believed everything should be doubted until it could be proven by reason
How do we know any thing in the outside world exists?
Questions: 1. How do we
perceive the outside world?
a) Our Senses
2. What are our senses?
If we can doubt our senses, how can we know for certain if the outside world exists? After all it is our only connection to the “real world”.
Challenge: Describe Color to a blind person
Explanatory Gap! How do I know that the color I call red is not what you think of as green?
Your eyes can deceive you!Who is larger?
Is there water on the road?
Oh my gosh, what is real?
Realistic Dreams?
Have our senses ever deceived us?Sense of Touch
Phantom Vibrate Syndrome
What we have concluded!If we cannot trust our senses, we cannot
know if the outside world exists!
However, we still have our logic. We still know that “all bachelors are single” or that “all squares have 4 sides” because these are true without are senses, purely by definition!
But could we question our LOGIC?
FLAWED LOGIC = Question Everything
So what do we know for sure?
At the very least, even if everything you perceive is false, you know that “YOU” EXIST to be deceived.
Everything else might just exist in your mind!
Final Question: If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it
make a sound?
Answer: No, if I am not there to perceive the tree falling then the tree does not even “exist” to make a sound (or fall).
Warning! Do not go around telling people
that they do not exist! (People do not like that!)
This includes but is not limited to: Telling your teachers that they do
not existThat your homework does not
existThat your parents or chores do
not existThat your grades do not exist
I did NOT teach you that people do not exist, only that you can never be certain that they are not figments of your imaginations or that you were not all created 3 seconds ago with all of these memories!
Reasoning Inductive reasoning-
making general propositions based on specific examples (reasoning by analogy)
Ex: I know I have a mind, so everyone else must too.
Deductive reasoning – True conclusions based on true premises
1. All men are mortal. 2. Mr. Luberto is a man. 3. Therefore, Mr. Luberto is
mortal.
Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes wrote that there would be a war of “every man against every man” if there were no government.
State of Nature = State of War
To avoid this war, Hobbes said, people form a social contract, which was an agreement between people and their government
The best government, he said, is that of a strong king who can force all people to obey.
John Locke, Two Treatises on Government John Locke
believed that people have three natural rights. They are life, liberty, and property.
The purpose of government is to protect these rights. When it fails to do so, he said, people have a right to overthrow the government.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” – Thomas JeffersonWho influenced the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau believed that people are born good, but that society corrupts them. “Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.”
He believed all people were equals in society and should work for common good.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Argued that people enslaved themselves to the government
The Social Contract Society agrees to be governed by its
general will (what’s best for the most people)
People are free by being forced to allow what’s best for the general will
Economics: Adam Smith
believed the government shouldn’t interfere with economy (Laissez- Faire)
Wrote Wealth of Nations Thought the government
should have 3 roles—army, police, public works
Montesquieu
French noble Book is Spirit of the
Laws Applied scientific
method to find natural laws that govern relationships of people
3 types of governments
Republics—good for small states
Despotism—good for large states
Monarchies—good for medium-sized states
Montesquieu (cont’d.)
Used England as example of good monarchy
3 branches of government Executive Judicial Legislative
Separation of powers—each branch limits and controls the others
Ideas applied in US government
Discussion
1) What is the State of Nature like?2) Are people naturally good or bad?3) What is the purpose of government?4) Why would you want to enter into
society?1) What are the benefits?2) What are the disadvantages?
5) What are natural rights? 1) Where do they come from? (God, reason,
etc.)
The Royal Africa Company -- the company which carried on the slave trade for England was chartered in 1665. Locke, along with Shaftsbury and many others bought shares in the Royal Africa Company. Locke later sold his shares at a profit. Locke also held a significant share in the Bahama Adventurers -- another company which traded in slaves in the Bahama Islands.
Contradiction
Work on:
Work on DBQ Questions
Read the passage below to answer the question that follows.
Speaker A: Good government stresses the importance of the nation and accepts the rights of the individual only if the interests of the individual are the same as those of the nation.
Speaker B: The person of the king is sacred and to attack him in any way is to attack religion itself. The respect given to a king is religious in nature.
Speaker C: All human beings are born free and equal with a right to life and liberty. It is the duty of government to protect these natural rights of its citizens.
Speaker D: Our goal will not be achieved by democracy or liberal reforms, but by blood and iron. Only then will we be successful. No nation achieves greatness or unity without the traumatic experiences of war.
Exit Slip
Summarize the ideas of John Locke Summarize the ideas of Thomas Hobbes Compare and contrast their ideas about
how people should be governed