THE ENLIGHTENMENT

A Brighter world as described by people with wigs

JOHN LOCKE

• Major Work—Two Treatises of Government

• People are reasonable and born with NATURAL RIGHTS

• SOCIAL CONTRACT—government is formed by the people to protect their natural rights. People obey some laws in return

• If rights are not protected, people should destroy the government and start again

• Believed in government with limited power accepted by all citizens

Jean Jacques Rousseau

• Major work—”the Social Contract”

• Believed that people are naturally good

• It is society (especially inequality) that corrupts people

• Social contract—people give up some freedoms in favor of the common good as decided by a freely chosen government

• Trust in the General Will –The good of the community is more important than the individual

BARON de MONTESQUIEU

• Major work—Spirit of the laws• The only way to keep

government stable was to split into three branches ---executive, legislative and judicial

• Three branches could have checks and balances to keep one from taking over

• Believed in a limited monarchy with a parliament

THOMAS HOBBES

• Major Work—Leviathan

• People naturally cruel, greedy and selfish

• Life in the “state of nature” (no laws) would be “nasty Brutish and Short”

• Social Contract—people give up the state of nature in return for organization

• Believed in absolute monarchy as the way to keep people from being their vile selves

VOLTAIRE

• “I do not believe in a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”

• Believed in Free speech and freedom of religion

DIDEROT

• Major work—Encyclopedia

• 28 volume archive of the works of enlightenment thinkers

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT

• Major work—Vindication of the Rights of Women

• Believed women were left out of the social contract

• Being wives and mothers was most important, but women should choose that

• Believed in equal educational opportunity for women