The Enlightenment

Key Ideas Enlightenment philosophers admire scientists’ use of reason to understand the natural world. Enlightened thinkers wanted to use reason to fix problems. Promote reason to understand government, religion, education, and economics. Want to change the government & improve society

Thomas Hobbes Believed people always acted in their own self interest Government needed to keep order Life w/o gov’t = solitary, poor, short. Thomas Hobbes expressed is views in a work called Leviathan (1651). The horrors of English Civil War convinced him that all humans were naturally selfish and wicked. Without governments to keep order, Hobbes said, “there would be “war of every man against every man.” In this state of nature, as Hobbes called it, life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes argued that to escape such a bleak life, people gave up their rights to a strong ruler. In exchange, they gained law and order. Hobbes called this agreement, by which people created govenrment, the social contract. Because people acted in their own self-interest, Hobbes said, the ruler needed toatl power to keep citizens under control. Hobbes believed that an absolute monarchy was the best government.

John Locke Thought people were reasonable & had natural ability to govern themselves Purpose of government = protect natural rights of life, liberty, and property Wrote Two Treatises on Gov’t. John Locked believed that people could learn from experience and improve themselves. As reasonable beings, they had the natural ability to govern their own affairs and to look after the welfare of society. Locke criticized absolute monarchy and favored the idea of self-government. Locke’s ideas about government are the foundation of modern democracy.

Voltaire Tolerance, reason, Freedom of: thought, expression, and religious belief Enlightened Despotism- Rational monarchs protect people’s rights (freedom of speech, religion, etc.) “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Born in Paris, Voltaire was the son of a lawyer. He received an excellent education but chose not to follow his father into law. Instead, he ended his schooling at age 16 and devoted h8imself to literary pursuits. He joined a group of irreverent young aristocrats and began to write witty political verses. As a young man, Voltaire got himself into a certain amount of trouble with his writing, but he also managed to meet like-minded people. Through acquaintances with philosophers, artists, and thinkers, and also through his won desire to learn and understand the world, Voltaire became a great thinker.

Montesquieu Idea of Separation of Powers (3 branches of government) Checks & Balances- keep any individual or group from gaining complete control of the government Wrote The Spirit of the Laws. Like Voltaire, Montesquieu believed that Britain was the best-governed country of his own day. He believed that “Power should be a check to power” and he called the division of power among different branches “separation of powers.”

Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. Rousseau Viewed government as a Social Contract among free individuals to create a society guided by the “general will” Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. All through his life, Rousseau was plagued by feelings of guilt, depression, and inferiority. His attempts to form friendships often failed, and he spent his life as an outsider is society. These difficulties may have been the result of a very unhappy childhood. Rousseau’s mother died giving birth to him. His father made him feel guilty for this and was either warm and affectionate or cold and rejecting toward his son. When Rousseau was ten years old, his father abandoned him. As an adult, Rousseau realized the was more comfortable opposing society than trying to fit into it.

Mary Wollstonecraft Argued for women’s education and political participation Believed women, like men, need education to become upright and useful Wollstonecraft received very little formal edcuation. She and her two sisters taught themselves by studying books at home. Wither her sisters, she briefly ran a school. These experiences shaped her thoughts about education. She died at age 38, after giving birth to her daughter, Mary, who wrote the classic novel Frankenstein.

to judge for themselves what was right or wrong in society How did Enlightenment writers and thinkers set the stage for revolutionary movements? Encouraged people to judge for themselves what was right or wrong in society Rely on human reason to solve social problems

Whose ideas are most like your own? Why? Locke People are reasonable and able to make decisions. People should be able to rule themselves. Hobbes People are selfish, self-serving, and brutal. Without control, society would be chaotic

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