wisdom to win

 Wisdom to Win
search bar left
search bar right
 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

 

The Enlightenment (17th & 18th centuries)

 

Famous for...

A movement (particularly strong in the second half of the eighteenth century) dedicated to the pursuit of

  • knowledge. The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success 
  • freedom.
  • democracy.

Its slogan (written by the German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, pictured right) was

“Dare to know!”

 

The Enlightenment’s key books

 

1641

René Déscartes (pictured right), Meditations.

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

1658

Blaise Pascal (pictured right), Pensées.

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

1687

Isaac Newton (pictured right), Principia Mathematica.

 

 

1690

John Locke, Second Treatise of Civil Government.

 

 

1739 (and 1740)

 David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature.

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

1751

First volume of Denis Diderot’s (pictured right) Enclopédie, an e ncyclopedia of knowledge with contributions from Voltaire, Rousseau and many other leading thinkers.

 

1759

Voltaire’s  novel, Candide.

 

1762

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s two books: The Social Contract and Émile.

 

1776

Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations.

 

1781

Immanuel Kant  Critique of Pure Reason.

 

1789

Jeremy Bentham, Principles of Morals and Legislation.

 

1791

Thomas Paine, Rights of Man.

 The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

1792

Mary Wollstonecraft, pictured right, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

 

 

The Enlightenment's key ideas for learning, happiness and success

 

1.  Self-reliance

Have the courage to:

  • use your own intelligence.
  • push back the frontiers of knowledge and truth. The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success 

René Déscartes (pictured right) said that the thing that makes you human is the ability to think, summed up in his famous maxim:

“I think, therefore I am”.The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

So Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire (pictured right) strongly attacked the Church (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) for telling people what to think.

 

2. Experiment

Physics and chemistry were revolutionized in the Enlightenment by scientists like:

They used the scientific method - in other words:

  • state a hypothesis.
  • then prove (or disprove) it by experimentation and observation.

For example, the apple landing on Newton’s head helped him to prove gravity!

 The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

3. Freedom of thought

Sadly Lavoisier (pictured right), the founder of modern chemistry, suffered from the intellectual repression that the Enlightenment vehemently fought against.

He was guillotined in 1794 during the French Revolution.

 

4. Individual rights

People’s rights were emphasized by philosophers like:

 

a) John Locke The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

Locke (pictured right) inspired Thomas Jefferson’s famous statement in America’s Declaration of Independence that people have the right to:

“life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

 The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

 b) Thomas Paine 

Paine (pictured right) believed in:

  • maximum freedom for the individual.
  • minimal government.

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

 c) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (pictured right)

Rousseau's “social contract” governed a person’s relationship with the state.

 

d) Mary Wollstonecraft 

(who supported women’s rights).

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

5. Democracy

Locke , Paine, Jefferson (pictured right) and Rousseau all said that people must elect their government.

 

 

6. Capitalism and ethicsThe Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

Adam Smith (pictured right) supported:

a) profit making businesses.

b) competition

c) free trade

But Smith also believed that businessmen must have good morals.

Immanuel Kant’s “categorical imperative” said that people should:

  • do their duty.
  • always apply certain principles (like compassion, courage and honesty).

 

7. Question everythingThe Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

The Scottish philosopher, David Hume, pictured right, is famous for his scepticism, believing that:

  • nothing is certain or true.
  • you must always challenge other people’s ideas.

 

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

8. Happiness

The English philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, pictured right, proposed the idea of utilitarianism that says something is right, if it makes you happy.

 

 

Key quotes on knowledge

Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence!,

- Immanuel Kant (German philosopher).

 

Knowledge is power,

- Francis Bacon (English philosopher).

 

Key quotes on learning and wisdom

 

A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.

- David Hume (Scottish philosopher).

The Enlightenment - Learning, Happiness and Success

 

There are two kinds of truths: truths of reasoning and truths of fact.

- Gottfried Leibniz (German mathematician and philosopher, pictured right).

 

My best friend is truth.

- Isaac Newton (English scientist).

 

Thought constitutes the greatness of man.

- Blaise Pascal (French philosopher).

 

Key quotes on politics and government

Tyranny is the exercise of power beyond right.

- John Locke (English philosopher).

 

With rights come responsibilities.

- Thomas Paine (English philosopher).

 

Key quote on religion

My mind is my own church.

- Thomas Paine (English philosopher).

 

Key quote on decision making

There are two things to be considered with regard to any scheme. In the first place, is it good in itself? In the second, can it be easily put into practice?

- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (French philosopher).

 

Key quote on society

 

No society can be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.

- Adam Smith (Scottish philosopher).

 

Free Newsletter
Enter your name and e-mail address to receive our free newsletter with analysis of business issues and new business books

Quotes