What Did Voltaire Do During The Enlightenment

Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the rights of women written in 1792 can be considered one of the first feminist documents, although the term appeared much later in history. In this essay, Wollstonecraft debates the role of women and their education. Having read different thinkers of the Enlightenment, as Milton, Lord Bacon, Rousseau, John Gregory and others, she finds their points of view interesting and at the same time contrary to values of the Enlightenment when they deal with women’s place. Mary Wollstonecraft uses the ideas of the Enlightenment to demand equal education for men and women. I will mention how ideals of the Enlightenment are used in favor of men but not of women and explain how Wollstonecraft support her “vindication” of the rights of women using those contradictions.

These four Enlightenment philosophers all had the same main idea. The 17th and 18th centuries were the two centuries of the philosophers. The philosophers hoped to accomplish that nature is an excellent teacher. The philosophers believed careful observation and clear-headed reasoning were necessary to find out the truth of things. Find what the main idea is of the philosophers. All four philosophers, John Locke, Mary Wollstonecraft, Voltaire, and Smith, believed in freedom and people’s rights. John believed in freedom, equality, and liberty. Mary believed that women are capable of reaching equality and should be given natural rights. Voltaire believed in freedom and people’s rights. Smith believed every individual has the freedom to trade and

Our society would not be what it is today if it wasn't for the three French philosophers for the individual freedom, freedom in government, religion, economy, and gender equality. John Locke, Voltaire, and Adam Smith were four of the many great philosophers, who changed our society and the shaped the capitalistic democratic world that we live in today. These philosophers lived in a time of bright and amazing new ideas, known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. Here are the main ideas of Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment lasted from the 1600s to the 1700s. It was a time when being intelligent was appraised. Wise people had different thoughts during the time of knowledge. Not all of them agreed on each other’s ideas, but they all mostly had the same vision of how different people should be treated equally (Background Essay). Logicians’ main theories during the Enlightenment were...if the government goes out of control, society has permission to dethrone it; all religion should be treated equal and women should have the same rights as men.

The time of intellectual change and societal improvement. The late 17th century and 18th century was a time of enlightenment in Europe caused by philosophers. During the age of reason what were the great thinkers ideas? The philosophes, great thinkers of their time, were the people who bought this enlightenment, a time of change due to new ways of thinking. Just some of the philosophes were John Locke with his ideas about government, Voltaire with his ideas of religion, Adam Smith with his ideas of individuality, and Mary Wollstonecraft with her ideas of women. These individuals were looking to push individual freedom for the better of society.

Voltaire’s main belief was that people should be allowed to make their own decision in choosing religion. He stated that if a kingdom would have only one religion, it would be forced and autocratic. If the government had two religions, it would cause the people to fight, so Voltaire believed there should be more than one religions, and the people should choose what they want to follow. (Document B) He thinks that to stop conflicts and bring the people to peace, religious freedom is something that will truly help. Voltaire truly thought tolerance would make the world a much better

The philosophers of the Enlightenment created today. The Enlightenment was a time full of new ideas ranging from the 1620’s to the 1780’s. The philosophers of the time, including Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Baron de Montesquieu all had grand ideas. The ideas were fueled by the opposition to the government or other issues the philosopher faced. These ideas were so revolutionary they live on in the minds of people fighting for equality and freedom today.

Enlightenment in the 1700s was a pivotal event in history that lead to the transformation of thought processes. Many people contend that the Age of Enlightenment led to the betterment of society as it went from being permissive of superstitions, a God that is present, and an unquestionable rule to people who wanted to question, think, and speak for themselves. On the other hand, others profess that the Age of Enlightenment led to an unintentional dismissal of monotheism, the questioning of authority, and a rebellious nature of society. So, how influential were the ideas of the Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment was a time during the 17th and 18th century in Europe when the ideas of philosophers about an ideal government and human nature in society were being developed. Although women did not have equal rights as men, women did have the power to influence ideas during the Enlightenment. This is because they took on several roles as leaders, where they had chances and opportunities to act as philosophers and share their new ideas on the society of France.

In Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, many philosophers gathered together to discuss their different but similar ideas to help shape the world we live in today. In the late 17th and 18th century, four enlightenment philosophers named John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft focused on the same main idea. They believed in individual rights and presented their arguments through religion, government, economics, and equality for women.

Gender role refers to those behaviors and attitudes that are considered to belong to one sex. Gender role is based on femininity and masculinity that differentiate women and men by giving men some roles and women which results to gender inequality. There some work in society that is regarded to belong to women such as cooking, taking care of children and other less important roles while men are given roles that makes them superior than women. Most of the gender roles associated with women makes them inferior and creates a room to be oppressed. Gender roles are constructed by society and attributed to women or men. In the book of vindication of the right of a woman, Wollstonecraft brings out clearly the roles of a woman in her society and how it has led to oppression of women (Wollstonecraft 22). Wollstonecraft believes that men and women are equal given the same environment and empowerment, women can do anything a man can do. In her society, education for women is only aimed at making her look pleasing to men. Women are treated as inferior being and used by men as sex objects. Wollstonecraft believed that the quality of mind of women is the same with that of men, and therefore women should not be denied a chance for formal education that will empower them to be equal with men.

Wollstonecraft argues for the rights of women in her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects. She opposes that only men can receive education. Women are taught by their mother the knowledge of human weakness, “cunning, softness of temper, outward obedience, and a scrupulous attention to a puerile kind of propriety” (2.2). They should be beautiful, then men will protect them. Wollstonecraft argues that women focus on being beautiful and stay indoors, they can’t really run reason because they depend on men. Women can’t bear a child well without good education. And they can’t be moral and virtuous without being taught how to be moral and virtuous. The education of women only focused on the good looking

Mary Wollstonecraft an early feminist philosopher, writes about the ideals of equality and freedom both in her political rebuttal essay “Rights of Men” and her follow-up essay “Vindication of Women” in response to philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Writing the “Vindication of the Rights of Men”, has led her to explore and express her opinions about the inequality of women during the Romantic period. As the opposition to post-revolutionary sentiment, extending rights as a just act to include the upper middle class of men, over maintaining the traditional rights given to men of nobility. Wollstonecraft interjects that women are also a vital importance to society and also deserve allowances of rights. Mary Wollstonecraft states her opinion on the argument that education is the basis for gaining equality within a society. Educating women begin the process of educating the next generation.

Paradise Lost was written by John Milton and first published in 1667, and has influenced poetry and literature in many ways since then. In fact many of the authors and works that we have read in this class were influenced by Paradise Lost.

In this chapter I would like to discuss and present Mary Wollstonecraft`s criticism on traditional philosophy on concept of women.