ipl-logo

The Enlightenment Philosophers Main Ideas

388 Words2 Pages

The Enlightenment Philosophers were brilliant people who did things that changed the world. The Enlightenment is a story about four philosophers who each had a different story and background. Their main idea was to say what needed to change and happen because of what they believed in. The Philosophers main idea is that they all believe in individual rights and they want to make things right about what they believe was right.
John Locke talks about how the state of nature and government worked during his time.
In one statement he says “All men are naturally in a state of perfect freedom to order their actions.” I don’t fully agree how this government works and some things do need to be changed and other things don’t need to be changed.
Voltaire

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Jefferson And Thomas Paine

    762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Two particular enlightenment thinkers were Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Paine’s main focus in his works was that self-government is possible. He really spoke to the colonists in a way they could understand because he was just like them, meaning he was not well-educated but was able to express his thoughts in a persuasive way that impacted the colonists daily lives. The most important pamphlet he ever wrote was called Common Sense and was read by many people, and was even referenced at the Second Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson was greatly influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment while he was writing the Declaration of Independence, along with many other of the Founding Fathers as well.

    Read More

  • How Did Self-Government Change From 1450 To 1750

    1314 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Enlightenment placed great emphasis on the individualism and secularism. For example, John Locke introduced ideas of natural rights. These natural rights were to be protected by the government, and if they were not, the people had the right to overthrow the government. For the first time, colonists were given the opportunity to have power and a say in government. Power came from the individual rather than a religious authority like it previously was before.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    756 Words  | 4 Pages

    This thinking came from the ideas from the enlightenment and led to America completely leaving Great Britain's nation. Similar to that is Thomas Jeffersons' declaration of independence, which was the final turning point in America’s freedom. He said that they needed to “throw off” the government by instituting new guards for their nation (Doc 3).Jefferson intended this to be shown to Great Britain and made it to finally declare their independence against the oppressive government. Jefferson most likely believed in equality and freedom for all free men and wanted to have fair representation in the government. Montesquieu, Locke, and Jefferson all derived ideas from the enlightenment to create their works and all three of them led to the changing of

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast John Locke And Wollstonecraft

    464 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enlightenment was a period in history throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century when the philosophes brought new ideas of science, philosophy, society, and politics. Philosophes were the intellectuals of the Enlightenment who gave reason to the study of many areas of learning. John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Mary Wollstonecraft all focused on one key concept, though - and that is freedom. More distinctly, these philosophes believed that society would change for the better if they reformed the government, religious toleration, and equality for all. Born in the United Kingdom and in France, both John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu believed that the government restricted the citizens from doing what they wanted.

    Read More

  • How Did The Enlightenment Influence On America

    558 Words  | 3 Pages

    Enlightenment was created by the English philosopher John Locke. The ideas that were influenced by enlightenment were life, liberty, and property. This also gave to the idea of natural right. Enlightenment influenced the way people finally realized that divine right wasn’t right and start to doubt it. Throughout time enlightenment has influenced a lot of important events in history.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    1016 Words  | 5 Pages

    Before the Enlightenment, absolute rulers such as King Louis XIV, Charles V, and Philip II had complete power over their countries and made all the choices on their own of how to run their countries. Many rulers, such as Ivan the Terrible who went crazy and killed his own son, abused their powers. Montesquieu brought forth the new idea of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances that kept the government from gaining too much power over the people. This was a change because Separation of Powers did not allow the government to gain too much power and run the country solely, which all the absolute rulers

    Read More

  • Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    575 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the time of the Enlightenment Period many changes were happening in society. In the late 17th and 18th century people called The Philosophers, met in French salons and English drawing rooms to discuss what they believed in. They made many great things happen and strived their best to make what they believed in something possible. The Enlightenment Philosophers imagined they could change the ways of society in many ways. They concluded that they could improve the laws, rights of women, religious rights, and also economic rights.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    898 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the Renaissance people began to stray away from the Catholic Church, and began thinking for themselves. While doing so people began to reconnect to old Roman traditions. Subsequently, the Enlightenment was born soon after. The Enlightenment was a new way of thinking also known as The Age Of Reason. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are two famous philosophers from the Enlightenment that are known for having two different view on government.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Ideas During The Declaration Of Independence

    81 Words  | 1 Pages

    Firstly, in the beginning the government was able to control everyone, but after the Enlightenment, people started to question things. Because of this, the Enlightenment encouraged people to challenge the authority, and think upon reasoning/logic. The word/phrase "common sense" was an Enlightenment idea, which inspired a man named Thomas Paine, during the Rev War. The Declaration of Independence was based on Enlightenment ideas, which were presented by John Locke. The Enlightenment supported ideals including: liberty, democracy, individualism, religious tolerance, and

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Enlightenment Ideas Of Montesquieu And Rousseau

    628 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Enlightenment new ideas were created that greatly impacted society. The new ideas created during the Enlightenment impacted society so much that many of the ideas were utilized when forming the government of the United States. Three European men Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau each had their own unique views of what would be best for society. Each philosopher had ideas that would make today 's society more ideal and with hard work are possible to achieve.

    Read More

  • Voltaire's Ideas Of The Enlightenment

    617 Words  | 3 Pages

    Locke's idea of natural rights and of the Two Treatises of Government, Voltaire’s idea of religious freedom that infringed on the people's rights and freedoms and set the basis for modern democracy. Along with Smith’s idea of freedom of economics and Wollstonecraft’s ideas on gender equality. John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher and he

    Read More

  • What Are The Effects Of The Enlightenment

    409 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to our studies, the Enlightenment was a movement that prioritized the human capacity for reason as the highest form of human attainment (Lecture Insert Cite). The Enlightenment originally began in Europe and found it 's way to the colonies. Before the Enlightenment, people had always believed that the social class in which they were born into would be the one in which they would die. People would follow their leader 's words without daring to question them and believed that when they died they would either face eternal salvation or eternal damnation. There was no room for thought.

    Read More

  • What Was The Enlightenment Purpose?

    423 Words  | 2 Pages

    Solving problems through reason and science was the Enlightenment purpose. The philosophers of the time provided new ideas and philosophies about the mysteries of the world. They were five concepts that were the reign of their beliefs. Reason, thinkers believed that by truth could be discovered by reasoning also society would make steady progress toward liberty and justice. Nature, they believed that all nature creation was good and through it, you can discover God.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment And The American Revolution

    189 Words  | 1 Pages

    In conclusion, the Enlightenment was vital to the American Revolution and the creation of American Government. The Enlightenment beliefs that influenced the American Revolution were natural rights, the social contract, and the right to overthrow the government if the social contract was violated. The Enlightenment beliefs that aided to the creation of the American government were separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. As stated before, without the Enlightenment there would not have been a revolution, resulting in no American Government. The Enlightenment’s influence on the creation of America is irrefutable.

    Read More

  • What Are The Four Main Ideas Of The Enlightenment

    550 Words  | 3 Pages

    The end of poverty by Jeffrey Sachs Economic and social progressed witnessed in the present world can be attributed to brilliant minds of the enlightenment era, who introduced new concepts of social progress. Four main ideas of the enlightenment inspire us today: political institutions are human constructs that should be fashioned consciously to meet the needs of society; economic system should be shaped to meet human needs; appropriate global system of governance to end the age-old scourge of war; science and technology, fuelled by human reason, can be a sustained force for social improvements and human betterment. Political institutions Thomas Jefferson and others in the American Revolution, inspired by philosophers like John Locke and David Hume, argued that political institutions are human constructs that should be fashioned consciously to meet the needs of society. Jefferson’s statements such as “Government are instituted among men” inspired the securing of rights of “life, liberty, and pursuit for happiness” (p.348). Since the enlightenment era political systems “could no longer be justified on the basis of the divine rights of monarchs or claims of religious prophesy” but rather they would have to “meet a performance test: whether or not they could improve the human condition” (Ibid).

    Read More

More about The Enlightenment Philosophers Main Ideas

Open Document