1. Enlightenment Philosophers & America Old Dead White Guys & Their Crazy Ideas

2. What is the Enlightenment?  Time Period during the 18 th Century  Believed that “reason” was the best way to understand life  Reject mysticism and religious faiths as basis for government

3. John Locke (2 nd Treatise of Government)  Believed that all humans are a blank slate at birth (tabula rosa)  Gain all knowledge through experience  In a “State of Nature” people have the three natural rights  Democracy is the best form of government for people

4. Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan)  Hedonism: Humans primarily avoid pain and seek pleasure  Agreed with Locke on the “state of nature”  Life is “nasty, brutish, and short” in the “state of nature”  Disagreed with Locke, saying a monarchy is the best form of government

5. Baron de Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws)  Proposed that government should be separated into three different branches  Each branch should be dependent upon the other

6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract)  The general will of society is usually best  Man is born free, but is shackled by society

7. What Does This Mean to You?  Our Founding Fathers read what these guys wrote and took it to heart  Our gov’t is based on the ideas of the Enlightenment