Enlightenment Thinkers Essay
During the Enlightenment, or The Age of Reason, there were many thinkers who made a huge difference in the world, changed how people thought about traditional authority, and helped them embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational changes. The Enlightenment was an era of new ideas and ways of thinking that gave rise to the expansion of a literate European society promoting economic improvement and political reform. Out of the many thinkers in this era, there are three that standout to me. The first thinker is a man and his name is Benjamin Franklin. The second thinker is an Englishman by the name of John Locke. The third and final thinker that spiked my interest is a man named Denis Diderot. The following is why I think
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What makes Benjamin Franklin so important is all the things that he did for America. The main thing he did was his ideas helped the formation of the new government of the United States. How he did this was through his travels back and forth between Europe and the colonies to spread his new profound ideas. The colonies were already getting upset with how they were being treated by England and the monarchy that they were being ruled in. A monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen has complete power over its citizens and this is also know as Absolutism. Spreading his ideas also influenced millions to rebel against britain, leading to the revolutionary war. This is why Benjamin Franklin was such an important thinker in the Enlightenment. Another thinker in this Enlightenment who is very important is John Locke. Locke believed that humans are rational and capable but they need to compromise their beliefs in order to form a government. He believes in the ideas of “Social Contract” and “Natural Rights” as well. Social Contract is an idea in which a government has to protect its citizens to stay in power. Natural Rights is another idea which is that each human is born with three rights, and these are the right to life, liberty, and property. This is what makes John Locke such an important thinker to The Era of
What makes Benjamin Franklin so important is all the things that he did for America. The main thing he did was his ideas helped the formation of the new government of the United States. How he did this was through his travels back and forth between Europe and the colonies to spread his new profound ideas. The colonies were already getting upset with how they were being treated by England and the monarchy that they were being ruled in. A monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen has complete power over its citizens and this is also know as Absolutism. Spreading his ideas also influenced millions to rebel against britain, leading to the revolutionary war. This is why Benjamin Franklin was such an important thinker in the Enlightenment. Another thinker in this Enlightenment who is very important is John Locke. Locke believed that humans are rational and capable but they need to compromise their beliefs in order to form a government. He believes in the ideas of “Social Contract” and “Natural Rights” as well. Social Contract is an idea in which a government has to protect its citizens to stay in power. Natural Rights is another idea which is that each human is born with three rights, and these are the right to life, liberty, and property. This is what makes John Locke such an important thinker to The Era of