Team 1 Period 3 Enlightenment Synthesis

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2. Another philosopher of the Restoration Era that expressed his resentful feeling of the elite and aristocracy through satire was John Locke. John Locke expressed his social criticisms through his writing and his philosophies. John Locke was a very influential thinker of the time, who created his theory based on that of identity and self-realization. He also based his ideals on practical knowledge and understanding thoughts rather than the previous aristocratic notions from the earlier days based in previous thinking and wealth. Locke expressed his social criticisms through his ideals based on practical knowledge and basically led the way of the Enlightenment Era thinkers. He even influenced future Enlightenment writers such as Rousseau and Voltaire. Voltaire was another writer of the Restoration period that criticized the previous values of aristocracy and the elite as being shallow and hypocritical. Voltaire based his ideas off of those of Locke, he also believed in the power of practical knowledge and the importance of useful thinking. Voltaire expressed his ideas through his writings and made his values known to the world. Both of these men also agreed with the idea of separation of powers in the government and favored the idea of challenging the old aristocracy and implementing a new and improved democracy. Locke was viewed as a high expert in the field of challenging government and was used as an example by future government challengers. Both Voltaire and Locke were unhappy with the previous values and sought to change them into the ones they believed, ones based on practical thinking and economic and political culture.

Asher Period 1 Team 2 Enlightenment Synthesis

Enlightenment philosophers helped change the intolerant ideologies of the Renaissance era, and propelled western culture into a new realm. John Locke was one of these great philosophers that helped inspire advancement. During the Renaissance era, the Catholic church reigned supreme over Europe, and committed countless atrocities to keep its power. Fearing that change would weaken it, the church imprisoned revolutionary thinkers like Galileo Galilei, Martin Luther, and Nicolaus Capernicus. John Locke sought to show these flaws in his work, Letters Concerning Toleration. He discussed how people cannot possibly prove that one religion is better than another, and wrote that enforcing a single religion would require violence - something that is against the fundamental values in all religions. John Locke’s ideas concerning religious tolerance were widely accepted by scholars and citizens alike.
Voltaire was also an influential philosopher during this time period whose ideas greatly differentiated from those of the church. He viewed the church as an oppressive institution and once stated, “Our religion is without a doubt the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and the most bloody to ever infect the world.” He further showed his opposition to Catholic ideals by writing about religious tolerance, as well as how all races are equal. The times were changing, and the old ways of the Catholic church were quickly vanishing. These philosophers’ writings were popular among other intellectuals of the time, and their ideas soon resonated with the general public, instigating a change in religion that had lasted hundreds of years.

Team 2 (Adrian Little, Seth Moore, Max White, James Kawakami)

Enlightenment Synthesis Question

During the Enlightenment the influence of family connections and other values of the restoration era were constantly mocked by well respected artists, writers, and philosophers. John Dryden, arguably the most satirically intriguing poet of the 17th century left a strong impression. Some of his most respected works include Mac Flecknoe, and Absalom and Achitophel. In particular, Absalom and Achitophel mocked Shaftesbury's confederates in a very exquisite manner, and clearly set Dryden apart from other social critics at the time. Another acclaimed social critic at the time was Voltaire. Voltaire's main critique of previous eras was their ignorance and blind faith. With quotes like, "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh," he is seen as an atheist and feels society must counter faith with common sense. Both Dryden and Voltaire demonstrated the drastic change in values between the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment. All of the philosophers, writers, and artists during the Enlightenment expressed their radical views to the public in a variety of ways. Philosophers, like John Locke, Voltaire, and Thomas Hobbes published articles in books, pamphlets, newspapers, and journals in order to share their ideas with the public. This surge of easily accessible literature created and fueled the increase of reading materials that occurred during this time period. Artists, like Jacques Louis David and William Hogarth expressed their controversial views by painting portraits conveying harsh realism, or expressing a satirical allegory. Extremists during this era, including philosophers, writers, and artists, led the political and social change of the Enlightenment by satirizing public opinions and publicizing their works.

Claire West

Danny Shapiro

Edward Tyler

Ivy Arbolado

Team 4 - Period 1

Wyl.p5.t4 Enlightenment Synthesis

The Enlightenment ushered in a new Restoration Era where family ties and social hierarchies were not as valued. Previously during the Renaissance and Middle Ages, family connections and the social hierarchy were important aspects of life. The Enlightenment and Restoration Society thought this to be shallow and hypocritical.

“The roots of the Enlightenment started in the French philosophers that dared to challenge the established political beliefs. (Research Question 8)” Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu exposed the underpinnings of monarchies and the economic system and favored the Restoration Society. Their radical texts unveiled the influence exerted by the French monarchy and ruling families. They explained about how this influence caused great disparities between the ruling class and the commoners.

Voltaire was a prolific philosopher who was a strong advocate for civil liberties and radical social reform. He produced works about individual freedoms and equal opportunity, such as the freedom of religion and freedom of trade. His writings were made in response to the French monarchy which oppressed its people. Voltaire was all about bringing power back to the common folk.

Montesquieu was another enlightenment thinker who focused primarily on politics. He is credited with the theory of separation of power. Montesquieu studied in depth on the classes of the French people. He realized that only aristocrats held any real power, and decided to voice his opinion on separation of powers to balance power.

Voltaire and Montesquieu were two Enlightenment philosophers who supported Restoration Society.

Team 4: Matthew Wong, Kevin He, Joyce Alexander, Lilian Coie

Asher.Period 1.Team 8.Enlightenment Synthesis!

During the Enlightenment, or the Restoration Era, many infamous scholars dominated the cultural aspects which made this particular time period filled with social tension. Among these well-known persons were John Dryden and Jonathan Swift. John Dryden, a poet, literary critic, translator and playwright, was known to have gathered constant attention for his work, that this period was also regarded as the Age of Dryden. Dryden, who wrote the notable poems, Absalom and Achitophel, and Mac Flecknoe, did so with forceful lines of argument which other satirists later adopted. In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden vehemently creates a satirical attack as well as an allegorical story on three major events. Dryden satirizes the Popish Plot, an alleged plot thought and derived by the Catholics to kill the king and eventually return England to Catholicism, the Exclusion Crisis, a plan concocted to prevent King Charles’ II brother from taking control of the throne, and the Monmouth Rebellion, which was an attempt to allow James, Duke of Monmouth – the illegitimate son of King Charles II, on the throne. With these three events juxtaposed together, Dryden wrote about the biblical story of King David and his argumentative son Absalom. In this poem it became evident that Dryden supported King Charles II, however he did so in a contemptuous and somewhat critical fashion. Mac Flecknoe, centers on a critical attack on Thomas Shadwell, who was a prominent poet Dryden. In his poem, Dryden publically displays the disagreements between Shadwell and himself concerning the true purpose of comedy and plagiarism. This poem alludes to Shadwell’s outright dullness, catalyzing mock-heroic poetry with the addition of strong, heightened sensory language. Jonathan Swift another well-known satirist of the Restoration time period, wrote the A Modest Proposal. In this essay, Swift vehemently preaches the idea that the Irish have the potential to ease their economic troubles simply by selling their children as food for the rich gentlemen and ladies. This mocks the poor and the Irish, causing great havoc. Swift preaches a line of argument, detailing the financial benefits of his suggestion, as well as its practicality. Overall, it is because of writers such as Dryden and Swift that the Enlightenment Era was as pertinent as it was, and has allowed progress in all aspects of our society.

TEAM 8: Jessie Yen, Ruhi Sharma, Sidney Gerst, Rachel Clauss

wyl.p6.t4 Enlightenment Synthesis

The Enlightenment was a time of great scientific and philosophic discovery. However, it strayed from many Renaissance ideals because it placed less importance on family connections and elite social patronage. The time period focused on economic and political equality, which eventually brought about great social changes. The philosophers Mary Wollstonecraft and Jean-Jacques Rousseau both criticized the elite upper class.
Mary Wollstonecraft satirized the wealthy lords of the time by suggesting that women deserved the same rights as men. In her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, Wollstonecraft argues that men would be nothing without the women that support them. She rocked the foundation of the elite class by suggesting it was unethical because it did not allow room for the self-made woman. Women during this time were always subjugated, and Wollstonecraft used irony in her work to point out the lack of fairness.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was another philosopher who criticized the wealthy lifestyles of the ruling class by implying the country of France would function more fairly in the form of a direct democracy. In his Of The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right, Rousseau argues that “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” He suggests that the ruling class is subjugating the rest of the society and that power must be redistributed amongst all peoples within a country in order to bring about equality. He was a radical thinker of the time.
Fortunately, for Americans, these philosophers brought about the American and French Revolutions.
Team 4: Cody Dunn, Calrton Lew, Stephwn Hwang, Tyler Wong

Wyl.p1.t2 Enlightenment synthesis

Wyl.p1.t2 Enlightenment synthesis

Miranda Gontz, Sara Patterson, Helen Lee, Tori Kause

During the Enlightenment era, public discussion was a driver of new ideas and new criticisms. Every point made was one worth making, as it challenged how society was perceived and how people interacted in it. John Locke was a philosopher of the time, and was a very loud voice in the governmental sense. Though he often spoke of ways of perceiving the human mind and body, he is most famous for his liberalism theories and formulating new forms of government. This was amazing, as the previous acceptance of society and way of life was challenged to the point of him restructuring it. Most of his publications were in pamphlet form, spreading to many people. Voltaire was another mind of that time, a writer, who criticized intolerance through essays. He also did not restrict himself to this area, and freely denounced ideals, societal structures, and also philosophized on the capabilities of human creativity. Montesquieu was yet another thinker who went the essay route, but he was first and foremost a political thinker. Close in area of expertise as Locke with challenging governments, he favored a separation of powers. Fed up with the structure of government and how it affected society, he did not completely restructure the system, but rather noted that a separation of powers would be a less biased form of government. Whatever their formal title (philosopher, writer, political thinker...), whatever they most strongly criticized, all thinkers of this period seemed dissatisfied with the workings of society. And through their thoughts, essays, pamphlets, and musings, they all were able to inspire social change in the future.