AOR: Lesson - Absolute Power vs. The Enlightenment: The Enlightenment

A philosopher giving a lecture.The Enlightenment

Enlightenment thinkers were hesitant to look towards institutions or traditions for guidance and, instead, focused on their faith in the human ability to reason and thereby improve humanity. It was the most important intellectual and social movement in Europe and North America during the 18th Century CE and is sometimes known as the "Age of Reason."

Enlightenment philosophy was mostly a reaction to personal circumstances, which meant that it varied by location. The most important centers of the Enlightenment were Great Britain and France.

Image note: The image on the right shows a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, which is Untitled, but known as A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on the Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in place of the Sun or The Orrery. The light represents knowledge and the philosopher is standing near a scientific instrument, showing how scientific reason precedes the Enlightenment.

A Response to Absolutism

While Louis of France and Peter of Russia were the most egregious of absolute monarchs, they were far from the only ones. Many Western Europe monarchs, including Great Britain, Spain, and Austria, adopted similar tactics to rule. This was the spark that led to the Enlightenment, but there were numerous other causes.

Causes of Enlightenment. Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Exploration, Scientific Revolution, Age of Absolutism.
The image shows how the Enlightenment was a response to five stimuli: the Renaissance (literacy and humanism), the Reformation (distrust of the church), the Age of Exploration (new governments and costly wars), the Scientific Revolution (a new emphasis on logic and reason), and the Age of Absolutism (power hungry monarchs).

A Response to the "Divine Right"

For nearly 2 centuries, from Henry VIII to James II, British monarchs, and their people fought over religion. Should they be Catholic, Anglican, or Calvinist/Puritan? The people lost faith in their government’s ability to protect their rights. But at the same time, Britain was growing more powerful in the Age of Exploration. So British Enlightenment thought tended to focus on government, economics, liberty, and religion. Influential thinkers included:

  • John Locke: promoted natural rights (life, liberty, and property) and the social contract (government gets power from the people)
  • Adam Smith: promoted Laissez Faire economics (or Capitalism)
  • Mary Wollstonecraft: promoted women’s right to political equality (including suffrage, or the right to vote).

Most of the French Enlightenment began with a critique of Absolute monarchs (like Louis XIV and his descendants). They also targeted the Catholic Church for its role in upholding absolute monarchs (via divine right) and persecution of Protestants. Influential thinkers included:

  • Montesquieu: promoted a separation of government powers
  • Voltaire: believed in abolitionism and the separation of church and state (through freedom of speech, politics, and religion)
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: believed in the common good (by supporting the idea of the social contract)
  • Olympe de Gouges: advocated for the rights of women, slaves, children, and the poor

It wouldn’t be long before people were inspired by these thinkers to change their governments. This would lead to war on three continents!

Practice Activity

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION