Enlightenment

What I need to know

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Hobbes
• Convinced that if people were left alone to rule themselves they would
constantly fight.

• Published his ideas in the Leviathan.

• People entered into a contract with a leader that gave the leader absolute
power.

• Once people had agreed to follow this leader they had no right to rebel no
matter how bad his rule was.

• Supported the idea of absolute monarchs.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Locke
• Locke also saw government as needed to promote order in society.

• Published his ideas in the Two Treatises on Government.

• He believed that people had natural rights. These included: right to life,
liberty and property.

• Government, he believed should protect these rights but should not have
absolute power.

• If a ruler was a tyrant than the people had a right to rebel and replace the
leader.

• Promoted the idea that government should be responsible to the people.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Social Ideas
• Tolerance of others beliefs
• Freedom of Speech
• Discussion of ideas
• Censorship prevented people from learning
new ideas.
• Encouraged education as a way to end
ignorance, prejudice and superstition.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Economics

• Argued land was the source of a nations

wealth not gold.
• Promoted idea of free trade
• Free market

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Government
• Montesquieu - ideas of checks and balances. Government should have
various branches with clearly defined powers. This way no branch of
government could dominate another.

• Voltaire - believed in religious toleration and freedom of thought. “I do not

agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Best ruler was an enlightened monarch ( studied science of government and
protected basic rights of people.)

• Rousseau - Human nature basically good. All people equal and nobility
should be abolished. “Man is born free and everywhere is in chains. In his
book, “The Social Contract”, he presented the idea that people in a society
make a contract with each other. They give up some of there freedom for
the general will of the majority.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Spread of Ideas

• Ideas were spread by books, newspapers

and journals.
• Public lectures and discussions were more
common.
• Ideas were also spread through songs.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

 Scientific Revolution

• Changed the way people viewed the world

• Challenged traditional views of the world.
• Became confident that science and reason
could solve major problems.
• Less reliant on the church for answers.

Saturday, July 10, 2010