Overview

UNIT OVERVIEW - The purpose of this unit is to explore the ideas and ideals of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment thinkers called the Philosophes, and to understand how they continue to influence our basic notions about the nature of man and his world. The unit introduces key members of the Philosophes through short excerpts from their works. The selections illustrate the social concerns of Enlightenment thinkers in society, politics, and education. Through a study of primary sources, the works of Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Marquis de Condorcet will be discussed. François Marie Arouet de Voltaire and the enlightened despot Frederick the Great, will also be introduced, as will the revolutionary Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.

The unit ends with the influence of the Enlightenment on the New World through a lesson on Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, author of The Declaration of Independence. The ideals of the eighteenth century Enlightenment acquaint students with the vision of the perfectibility of man through the power of reason, which laid the basis for the notion of egalitarianism at the heart of the French and American Revolutions.

UNIT OBJECTIVES

1. By studying the relationship between Voltaire and Frederick the Great, the students will see the relationship between the ideals of the Enlightenment and the practical application of these ideas in the real world.

2. The student will be able to place the Enlightenment in its historical context, and be able to identify its basic ideas.

3. Through the study of primary sources, students will become familiar with the ideas of eight key Philosophes of the Enlightenment.

4. By engaging in a class debate, students will understand three major areas of concern to the Philosophes, namely, the discovery of the underlying laws which govern society, the proper structure of government, and the dissemination of knowledge about the material world.

5. The study of illustrations from Diderot’s Encyclopédie will graphically demonstrate to students the new availability of information, both technical and philosophical, to the literate public, and the impact that it made in society.

6. The student will discover the role of ideas in affecting the course of history, and in precipitating major events; in this case, the French and American Revolutions.

Rationale:

The study of early philosophes can help students to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the world in which we live today. More specifically, the study of political philosophers, such as Locke, Hobbes, Montesquieu and Voltaire, can help students to understand the specific ramifications a political philosophy can have on the rights they are granted as citizens.

Evidence:

By listing and explaining specific beliefs to specific philosophes, students will demonstrate a basic understanding of where current rights of citizens and limitations of government began.

Bill of Rights

Amendment #1

Amendment #2

Amendment #3