THE ENLIGHTENMENT Uwu

THE
ENLIGHTENMENT
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
A revolution in intellectual activity
changed European’s view of government
and society. The scientific revolution led
to the reevaluation of other aspects in
society apart from science. People started
to doubt the imposed authority of
monarchs by the 1700s: this era became
known as the Age of Reason.
Two views on government
The Enlightenment started from
some key ideas put forth by two
English political thinkers of the
1600s: Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
and John Locke (1632-1704). Both
men experienced the political turmoil
of England early in that century.
However, they came to very different
conclusions about government and
human nature
Hobbes’s social Locke’s natural rights
contract
The thinker expressed his views in a work The thinker held a more positive view
called Leviathan (1651). After living the towards human nature: he believed that
horrors of the english civil war he became people could learn from experience and
convinced that all humans were naturally improve themselves.
selﬁsh and wicked. This idea wanted to criticize absolute
In order to solve the problems in society monarchy, and therefore, favour the idea of
that can come from the nature of men, self-government.
people need to hand over their rights to a For Locke, we are have three natural rights:
strong leader (absolutist king); this would life, liberty and property. The purpose of
be the only way to have law and order. This the government is to protect those three
agreement would be known as the social rights. If a government fails at protecting
contract where kings would impose order them, citizens would have the right to
and demand obedience. overthrow that government.
The philosophes advocate
reason
The enlightenment reached its high in France during the mid 1700s. Paris was the meeting
place of the philosophes who thought that people could apply reason to all aspects of life, such
as:
1. Reason: truth can be discovered through reason and logical thinking
2. Nature: what is natural is algo good and reasonable
3. Happiness: is to be found on earth and not in heaven
4. Progress: society and humankind has the possibility to improve at all times
5. Liberty: the goal of any society should be to win their liberty
François marie arouet a.k.a
Voltaire (1694-1778)
He was a french thinker known for the publishing

of more that 70 books of political essays,
philosophy and drama. He often used satire
against his opponents. He was sent to prison twice
due to the satire he used against the clergy, the
aristocracy and the government. His main goals
were to fight for tolerance, reason, freedom of
religious belief and freedom of speech.
Montesquieu (1689-1755)
He was another influential french writer who

devoted himself to the study of political liberty. He
spoke about the importance of the separation of
powers: this separation would keep any individual or
group from gaining total control of the government.
He wrote that “power should be a check to power”.
All of Montesquieu’s ideas would be the basis for the
constitutions in modern day governments.
Rousseau (1712-1778)
He was the son of a poor watchmaker and he was
completely devoted to the analysis of political ideas.
He believed that civilization corrupts people’s
natural goodness. He wrote: “man is born free, and
everywhere he is in chains”.
For Rousseau, good government consisted on a
direct democracy where the voice of the people is
heard and everybody is guided by a general will.
In 1762 he published The social contract.
Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)
He was an italian philosopher who believed that laws

should exist to preserve social order instead of just
punishing crimes. During the time, it was common to
exercise torture against people who acted against
justice; Beccaria proposed that the degree of
punishment should be based on the seriousness of the
crime. He also believed that capital punishment
should be abolished.
Mary wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
Even though the ideas of the enlightenment
thinkers led to huge advancements in politics
and modern democracy, most of them still
considered that a girls education should mainly
teach her how to be a helpful wife and mother.
In 1694 an english writer called Mary Astell
wrote: “If all men are born free, how is it that all
women are born slaves?” Wollstonecraft took
the ideas of Astell as an inspiration for her essay
“A vindication of the rights of woman”.
Legacy of the enlightenment
● Belief in progress: the scientific advancements
provided a new mindset in society: social problems
like slavery and the need for a much more
equitable society became a principal element for
society
● A more secular outlook: the importance of reason
gave the opportunity for people to start
questioning their religious beliefs and giving a
much more receptive outlook to different religions
● The rise of individualism: individuals acting upon
their own interest would bring economic and
political progress

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THE

He was a french thinker known for the publishing

He was another influential french writer who

He was an italian philosopher who believed that laws

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