Thomas Hobbes  Political philosopher  English  In the natural world only the strong survive, unless order is created by a great and powerful ruler

Thomas Hobbes  Wrote Leviathan in 1651  In the beginning there was anarchy to stop violence and danger people chose a leader to rule them and created a social contract.  The Social Contract was based on the exchange of individual liberty for group safety and social order.

John Locke  Political philosopher  English  Accepted the idea of a social contract, but believed that people had only given up some of their individual rights.  People should keep the right to live, enjoy liberty, and to own property.  Rulers should protect those rights.  A ruler who violated those rights, had broken the social contract.

John Locke cont.  He wrote Two Treatises of Government  He argued that individual rights were superior to laws and governments.  Governments existed to protect those rights.  No ruler should have absolute power.  A ruler who denied people their fundamental rights was a tyrant and could be overthrown by the people

Enlightenment  1700’s  The belief that truth can be determined solely by logical thinking was called rationalism.  The belief of natural law.  Objects in nature are expected to act in ways that were predictable.  God had created the world and all living things

The role of God in the Enlightenment  To live in harmony, people must live according to natural law.  God did not interfere in human affairs  Individual actions mattered most in determining the future.  Some downplayed the importance of religion this is called secularism. They believed there should be a separation of church and the government.

Philosophes  Thinkers of the Enlightenment  Not philosophers but critics of society.  The Encyclopedia- a handbook describing the ideas of the Enlightenment  Edited by Denis Diderot and Jean d’Alembert  Between 1715 and 1772  It criticized many things in society such as the church, the government, the slave trade, torture, taxes and war.  Diderot imprisoned for The Encyclopedia

Denis Diderot

Political Criticism  Baron de Montesquieu  French  Adopted ideas of John Locke  Wrote The Spirit of the Laws  He described the perfect government  Great Britain had the best at the time  That government should be divided into three branches  He believed that the balance between the three branches would provide checks to political power.

Baron de Montesquieu- contributed to the U.S. Constitution

Voltaire (pen name)  Francois-Marie Arouet  French  Wrote satires making fun of the French monarchy, the nobility, and the religious controls of the church.  Imprisoned twice and exiled to Britain

Voltaire cont.  Freedom of Speech  He wrote, “I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”  Wrote Philosophical Letters  Also believed Great Britain had the best from of government.  Wrote Candide- where he made fun of prejudice, bigotry and oppressive governments. Also believed in Freedom of Religion

Voltaire

Jean Jacques Rousseau  French  Published the Social Contract  He wrote that people are born good, but that it is their environment, education and the laws of the land that corrupt them.  He believed that people needed to be able to choose their own government based on popular sovereignty.  That government must be created and controlled by the people.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Mary Wollstonecraft  English  Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women  She believed in equality of the sexes.  Wanted personal freedom and economic independence  Education for women so that women could be better mothers.  Women should have a say in the government.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Cesare Beccaria  Italian  Wrote On Crimes and Punishments  Believed we needed a criminal justice system but that it should have nor torture or cruel and unfair punishments or fines.

Enlightened Despotism  This is a government where an absolute monarch would govern, but according to the principles of the enlightenment  There must be government AND individual freedom

Quiz:  1.The 17 th century is known as the Age of Enlightenment. T/F  2.Natural law means that objects in nature act in predictable ways. T/F  3. The Encyclopedia was a history of France. T/F  4. Jean Jacques Rousseau believed that people are naturally corrupt. T/F  5. Popular sovereignty is when a monarch is liked. T/F