Western Civilization II / Unit 6 WC2 0503 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Superstition, Deism, and Tyranny: What the Philosophes Rejected
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The idea
The philosophes rejected superstition, miracles and transubstantiation, and kept a remote creator: deism. They rejected tyranny, arbitrary rule indifferent to subjects' welfare, but almost none rejected monarchy; the ideal was an enlightened king under reasonable laws, with Britain after sixteen eighty-nine the model.
In practice
Few atheists, many church critics, one republican: Rousseau.
Where people slip
The anchor's written constitution means the Bill of Rights.
Your place on the trail
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