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Beginnign to describe the enlightenment in a post-newtonian world.

Voltaire held a similarly massive influence as did Newton.

On Voltaire's tomb 'he taught us to be free'.

'hagiography' Voltaire isn't a saint... but he's still given a sort of secular saintly status for the birth of nations in the Enlightenment. The Baconian ideal that man dominates nature (exemplified in Newton's mathematical logic) is the central idea of the enlightenment.

Reason allows man to understand nature, to know natural and universal laws - it's because they dominated and deployed the faculty of reason.

1688 is often claimed to be a land mark year in British history where a revolution of sorts is believed to have taken place. The Glorious Revolution - 1660-1684. The battle between parliamentarians and the crown seemed to be over. The battle that led to Charles the 1st being beheaded and England being a republic of sorts for 10 years from 1650 to 1660.

They shook off the patriarchal role that the monarchy usually held over business and in that vein of thought investors were putting money into ship design, weaponry, metalurgical skills, engineering, mining, lucrative trades. This is a time when the British began telling themselves that they were the greatest power in Europe - they were flourishing economically, militarily and they had a great navy.

'Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night; God said 'let Newton be' and all was light."

- Alexander Pope

So instead of asking God about the laws on nature, you ask Newton.

By applying baconian ideals and baconian rigorous methodological research, Newton proved his worth - and the royal society was promoted by Newton's legacy as he was the headstone of the committee, at the forefront of the achievements.

We see them as humanists, natural magicians, both Bacon and Newton were also using hypothesis and speculations. Neither of them were just making up tables of instances or discussing man's voyages - but there was an image of great empiricists, or great knowledge makers, of the ability to know nature's hidden secrets - that was the reputation put forward - and the rep built up further after his death.

The englightenment in terms of consciousness in terms of human ability was built around the late 17th century and the early 18th century around cultural imaging. It's the post-newtonians who looked back and wrote histories about Bacon, Newton and others - from the point of view of post-newtonians the period of the last 100 years had seen a tremendous intellectual leap, finally getting a head of the ancient thinkers - they have supposedly achieved that goal.

Newton is known for carrying the prosperity and knowledge of a whole generation knowing and creating a consciousness in its place in history.

John Locke wrote that 'the minds of all humans at birth are blank'. It's not a platonic line of thought. But our minds are filled as we grow with experience. Experiential knowledge is thus the key to understanding nature.

King or Prime Minister does not interfere with the capitalist ideals of an enlightened individual who knows what they can achieve. The government is there to keep the most basic and most important laws safe.

Locke does not deny the existence of God he only rationalises God's role in the universe and prosperity. This was called natural religion - and it is believed to be the slippery slope that leads to atheism.

Voltaire started to tap into the English positive, progressive mood. He was impressed by English pride in their freedom. He was also impressed by the commercial success of English businessmen. He studied Newton and read much of Locke's work and was impressed by the freedom of writers to publish what they like without the fear of being imprisoned. He was particularly impressed by Locke's theory that there is no innate knowledge - knowledge can only be gained through experience. He was also impressed by the religious tolerance, only really existed towards Christianity and nothing else.

One who rationalises their religion during this period describes themselves as a Deist. It means you do not have to adhere to Church doctrines.

1st of November, 1755 - 10,000 people died in Lisbon earthquake. The seven years war. Between rival colonial forces in north america. The question, was therefore, how could God do this to so many people? How could he see the death of so many people who came to worship him? These questions were written about in 'The disaster of Lisbon'. As such Voltaire becomes rather sceptical. They are disillusioned about positivity.