Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Enlightenment Thinkers Essay

Good Essays
307 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Enlightenment Thinkers Essay
Enlightenment was time of many philosophers who shared their own ideas on society, religion, science, economics, and government. Some philosophers include Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. These philosophers shared their opinions, but had many different thoughts on society. Voltaire was a very famous philosopher. His ideas are still used around the world today.Voltaire was famous for his idea of freedom of speech. He also said people should be able to have their opinions about the government without persecution . Voltaire's most famous quote, "I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defence to the death your right to say it." This showed how strongly Voltaire believed in these rights. His thoughts are used in America to this day. Thomas Hobbes, another philosopher, had different views on society. Hobbes believe all people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish. Hobbes believed the government needed to control society or it would end up in chaos. Hobbes felt having an absolute monarch was better to keep people from doing crimes. Hobbes believed people gave up the state of nature for an organized society. Hobbes's thoughts aren't used as much anymore today. John Locke is another famous philosopher who came up with other ideas. Locke believed people had natural rights. Natural rights are rights people have since they are born. Locke believed people could overthrow the government if they violate or take away natural rights. Natural rights included life, liberty, and the right to own property. Natural rights still exist to this day. Thus, there were many different philosophers during the Enlightenment Era, many thoughts and ideas were very different and some similar. Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke shared very different ideas with the world, some still used todays, and others forgetten over time. Hobbes, Voltaire, and Locke contributed to todays soceities in their own ways.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    and religious doctrines. John Locke was a British Enlightenment philosopher, he had a very big impact on the American Revolution and the colonists belief in self-government. John Locke believed that people had natural rights when they were born. He said that when someone was born they were free, equal, and had natural rights of life, liberty, and property and that rulers couldn’t take it away. John Locke’s ideas were constitutional and they challenged centuries of thinking, in regard of rulers and the people.…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Enlightenment was the traditional thought of the time. Thomas Paine was able to exert vast international influence in this subject. His contemporaries in America were Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. The Enlightenment was the scientific and intellectual developments of the 17th century such as Isaac Newton's discoveries, Rene Descartes'…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Enlightenment was a reaction against the current political and social frameworks in Europe. The enlightenment attempted to suggest the standards of sound judgment and motivation to the workings of ordinary life and in government while questioning humankind in society. It dismissed the celestial privileges of rulers even though it was not as much as an arrangement of thoughts as it was an arrangement of states of mind. At its center was feedback, a scrutinizing of conventional foundations, traditions, and ethics. Enlightenment philosophers, including Voltaire, David Hume, and John Locke each contributed, liberty, opposition against established religion and tabula rasa to western society.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophers hoped to accomplish and discover new ways to understand and improve their society. This time period was known as the Enlightenment or The Age Of Reason which took place during the 17 and 18 century. What were the philosophers or the thinkers of the Enlightenment main idea? Thinkers, known as Philosophers in the 17 and 18 century shared many of the same thoughts these Philosophers were John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith and Mary Wollstonecraft.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Enlightenment was a period in Europe in which intellect and individualism were valued and focused on more than the traditional ideals and beliefs. At the tail end of the scientific revolution there was an emphasis on reason, tolerance, and progress. Now, there was a new emphasis on these ideas and even the churches’ authority was questioned. One thinker during this time was the English philosopher John Locke, who offered new ways to construct a constitutional government. He believed that a contract between rulers and ruled was created by the work and creativity of man rather than being gifted from divine beings.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Enlightenment Dbq

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page

    From around 1650 to the late 1700’s, the Age of Enlightenment dominated philosophical thought in Europe and led to revolutionary change in the structure of government and way of thought. The intellectual and cultural movement provided a new way of thought that was based on reason, progress and the scientific method. Certain thinkers and writers believed they were more enlightened than others and strived to create a more successful idea of how society should be run. They believed that human reason could be used to fight ignorance, tired rituals, corrupt traditions and tyranny. They valued reason, progress, and liberty. John Locke (1632-1704), an English philosopher, was one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment and has left…

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Democracy in the colonies

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John Locke says that a person is born with natural rights; the following rights are life, liberty, and property. He believed that the government should protect the people. Which means if the people have a democratic government they should be protected.…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Influenced by the Scientific Revolution, an intellectual movement of the late 17th and early 18th centuries was formed; the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason’s primary thought was that natural law could be used to examine and understand all aspects of society. Enlightenment thinkers believed that there was a better way to improve society, people, and economic conditions.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hobbs believed that humans are naturally cruel, selfish, and hungry for power; Hobbs argued that people need to be protected from themselves. Hobbs believed in an idea called the social contract. The next philosopher is John Locke he believed that all people we born with natural rights, including life, liberty, and property; Locke argued that kings could be overthrown if he takes away their rights. Baron de Montesquieu agreed with Locke and their for we got the separation of powers, which is dividing power among three branches of government. Voltaire, was one of the most famous writers of the Enlightenment, he argued for the rights of freedom of speech and religion. Voltaire once said “I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.” He criticized intolerance, prejudice, and oppression. Another philosopher was Rousseau, he believed that people are naturally good, but power corrupts them; free people formed a social contract and government based on the common good, he supported a direct democracy. The last philosopher that I will include is Cesare Beccaria, he argued that people accused of crimes, punishment and torture should be abolished. Beccaria was upset with the use of torture, corrupt judges, secret trial, and secure punishments for crimes. He criticized abuses in the justice system.These men and their ideas influenced our government, for example their ideas were used in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and the…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the 1600s, they started exploring the areas of reason and law as well as science. They believed that reason could be used to solve any problems. During this Enlightenment period, thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu discussed their opinions on government and the human condition.…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Enlightenment was a time period of demystification and the birth of many new ideas. Thinkers of the Enlightenment such as John Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau believed in governments that were based on the interests of the people, and not obtaining too much power. Global politics in the 17th and 18th century, including France, Venezuela and Mexico were impacted greatly by the ideas of the enlightenment.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American, French, and Haitian people's followed the powerful Enlightenment ideals that became part of their strategy to engage them toward liberty and equality. Citizens and slaves gathered to fight a common enemy. They combined their Enlightenment ideals, they fought, and they won. By winning they were able to form a nation that contained people with a common ethnicity, language, history, religion, and culture, and most importantly, they governed themselves. Even though, the United States, France, and Haiti, were able to accomplish many goals such as equality in the U.S., the end of Feudalism in France, and the abolishment of slavery in Haiti, their ways of reaching their revolutionary ideals developed differently, which is made clear…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Enlightenment

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    True maturity of a man did not occur from natural aging, but through making self-decisions, derived from their own understandings. Those understandings occur when free movement is released. However, it involves with uncertainties and doubts one must go through. There are times when people try to step over these uncertainties through bravery, but only few are successful at breaking the chains of fixed philosophies.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Enlightenment thinkers impacted our government and lives tremendously. The special six affected the U.S. government today in numerous ways. The Bill of Rights originated from the six thinkers. The grievances from the Declaration of Independence show the relationship to Enlightenment ideas of natural rights and social contract.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over time, Enlightenment ideals have had an immense impact on contemporary and modern society. The Age of Enlightenment was a time during the 17th and 18th century in which scholars and philosophers began to question traditional ideas about society. Centuries of corruption and exploitation from numerous monarchies and the church, initiated intelligent people to speak out, and thus, the Enlightenment began. This Enlightenment changed the world by promoting new ideas concerning political, economic, and social values. These changes include equality for women, elimination of cruel and unusual punishment, and enforcement of religious toleration.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays