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The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

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During the late 17th and 18th centuries, Europe was going through a cultural and intellectual change and movement, known as the Enlightenment. During this time, writers, philosophers, and politicians heavily defended newer and modern ways of thinking. These ideas and people would eventually set the standards for today’s world and way of thought. The writers, philosophers, and politicians of this age went above and beyond to champion modern ways of thinking. One of the ways that these men did this was by finding a common barrier between all people; religion. The extent of their defense varied between men and personal belief. In a belief statement by Thomas Paine, he explains how he believes in one God and how his religion has been corrupted …show more content…

For example, Rene Descartes philosophy was that all things are connected, and that we should preserve our thoughts to deduct some truths. (Doc. 7) His ideas may have been influenced by his background in all things politics. He wanted the truth, and made it his job to find it. Similarly, in Immanual Kant’s definition of Enlightenment, he states that you have to forsake societal pressure and establish a mindset for yourself. Thomas Paine did this by finding his own truth during the French Revolution. In critiques towards the French Revolution, Paine states that all men are born free and equal in respects to their rights. (Doc. 5) Every writer established their own ideas and expanded thought to others by allowing options in …show more content…

(Docs. 5, 2, 8) A similar and common idea is one of John Locke’s. He believed that rights and power should be handed to the individual, and not the government, (Doc. 1) This idea was extremely idea and, at times, hard to grasp. Some modern thinkers believed that rights should still be held onto by the government, but only leniently. (Doc. 11) This political idea also mentions that a government should not have the right to declare a religion, connecting back to Voltaire’s view on religious tolerance. Jean-Jacques Rousseau placed the idea of rights on an even more pressing topic; slavery. He describes the horrors of which he saw and how he could no longer consider himself a man. His ideas back-up the common thought on men’s rights and Voltaire’s

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