HIST 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Denis Diderot, Philosophes, Montesquieu
Document Summary
Followers believed that human beings had the capacity to analyze and affect the natural world, indiv. had right to govern themselves, and societies could be changed- not by. A european intellectual movement of late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. Challenged the reform impulses of supporters of enlightenment. Size and increasing power of middle class. Radical ideas of skepticism, atheism, and materialism. Detailed the laws of gravity, transformed the scientific and intellectual communities and ushered in the age of enlightenment. No longer does a supernatural power hold things in place on earth. Made people question god and turn to math and sciences. Rejected divine right of monarchy had influenced the thought of the instigators of the glorious revolution in england and the early revolt by the colonists. Only legit form of government is one established by the consent of the people. Early 18th dominated by voltaire and montesquieu.
