Modern World Civilization

Handout Two

Topic: Reforms of the Philosophes

 OUTLINE:

II. The Reforms of the Philosophes.

A. A Call for Laissez-Faire.

B. The Philosophes on Justice and Education.

C. Religion and the Enlightenment.

D. Political Thought in the Enlightenment.

E. Enlightened Despots.

QUESTIONS:

 1. What reforms did the philosophes advocate in order to improve society in the eighteenth century? How radical were those changes?

2. What contributions did the philosophes make in the area of political theory? What alternatives did the Philosophes offer the intellectuals of the eighteenth century?

3. How would you evaluate those European rulers called “Enlightened Despots?” Which of the European monarchs had the best record of reform in Europe before the French Revolution? Explain.

TERMS:

Maria Theresa               Encyclopedie          Montesquieu       Adam Smith                  Denis Diderot          Rousseau       Social Contract             General Will                                Laissez-Faire            Inquiry into the Wealth of Nations            Baron d’Holbach     Essays on Crimes and Punishments         Alexander Pope             Quesnay                 Physiocrats        Joseph II                       Frederick II             Catherine II         Spirit of the Laws          Emile