How Did John Locke Contribute To The Enlightenment
The invention of the printing press in 1450 marked a new start point for Europe, the capacity to print/copy texts allowed people to have more access to education; the literacy rates went up and new discoveries and ideas arose guiding mankind to a period of time that is known for the great advances, ideas and discoveries that became the fundamental base for today’s political and scientific ideologies.
These new political and scientific philosophies of the enlightenment era marked a shift in the European history as during this period, the “human ability to reason was glorified.”
John Locke was an English man who believed that “the power of the government to rule must come from the consent of the governed.” That is to say, that the people should be able to choose who governs them. Locke also came up with the idea of “natural rights—the view that everybody has the right of life, liberty and the ownership of property.” Also, Locke had the idea of “social contract” which is the concept that …show more content…
states that a persons’ views about “the morality and the political obligations” are dependent upon a “contract among them to form the society in which they live.”
Locke as introduced other concepts such as “freedom of the press,” “educational reform,” “religious tolerance” and the belief that people should reveal against the governments that failed to protect “human basic rights” Another philosopher that influenced the political views of that time and the contemporary opinions is Voltaire, a French philosopher, came up with the idea of “freedom of speech” with his famous statement: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
These thoughts by Locke and Voltaire, are very present among many current governments, such as the government of the United States, as all these ideas are part of the American Constitution which is the “supreme law of the land.” And the Declaration of Independense. John Locke’s political views as well as Voltaire’s ideologies have influenced people in the—what is known today as— the United States as Locke is known to be “The Father of Liberalism” influencing Voltaire and Rousseau. He contributed to classical republicanism and the liberal theory, his ideas along with Voltaire’s thoughts can be observed in the American Constitution as well as in the Declaration of Independence. All philosophers of the enlightenment era, agreed in the idea of the separation of the Church and the government, which is seen in the United States government and most other countries around the world.
Francis Bacon and René Descartes “published important books that inspired generations of scientists and scholars.” Many historians consider them to be the “Fathers of the Enlightenment” Bacon was born in England and believed that science was capable of freeing regular people from “ignorance” and permit them to live a “more productive and comfortable lives.” He encouraged a “rational approach to science based on experimentation and arriving to a conclusion based on careful observation.” Meanwhile, René Descartes, a French Mathematician, published a book that “proclaimed that reason and mathematics were all that one really needed to discover truth in the sciences.” Descartes invented a new type of mathematics called “Analytic Geometry.” Which is a discipline used and studied even today.
The ideas of Bacon and Descartes led to the “development of what is called the Scientific Method” which is a series of steps that can be followed and will help to solve scientific
inquiries.
The Scientific method allowed science to grow and became a fundamental scheme to solve scientific studies. The impact to the Scientific Method can be observed this one was used by Isaac Newton, an Englishman who was born just six years before Descartes died. Newton owns much of his advances in science thanks to the Scientific Method, as he used it to make investigations is known for his brilliant work as he invented Calculus, he also made great discoveries in Optics—the science of light and he was able to understand and mathematically formulate the laws of gravity; he also formulated the laws of motions, which allowed Newton to calculate the weights of the Sun and planets and predict the paths of comets. He wrote the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica that shaped “the mathematical principles of mathematical philosophy.” The book changed people’s understanding of the universe, and influenced scientific thinking for the next two centuries.
These Scientific discoveries are just mere examples of how the enlightenment period has shaped today’s worldviews of science and the world, as it would be impossible to have today’s technologies and scientific advances without the scientific innovations of the enlightenment era.
These new political and scientific philosophies of the enlightenment era marked a shift in the European history as during this period, the “human ability to reason was glorified.”
John Locke was an English man who believed that “the power of the government to rule must come from the consent of the governed.” That is to say, that the people should be able to choose who governs them. Locke also came up with the idea of “natural rights—the view that everybody has the right of life, liberty and the ownership of property.” Also, Locke had the idea of “social contract” which is the concept that …show more content…
states that a persons’ views about “the morality and the political obligations” are dependent upon a “contract among them to form the society in which they live.”
Locke as introduced other concepts such as “freedom of the press,” “educational reform,” “religious tolerance” and the belief that people should reveal against the governments that failed to protect “human basic rights” Another philosopher that influenced the political views of that time and the contemporary opinions is Voltaire, a French philosopher, came up with the idea of “freedom of speech” with his famous statement: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
These thoughts by Locke and Voltaire, are very present among many current governments, such as the government of the United States, as all these ideas are part of the American Constitution which is the “supreme law of the land.” And the Declaration of Independense. John Locke’s political views as well as Voltaire’s ideologies have influenced people in the—what is known today as— the United States as Locke is known to be “The Father of Liberalism” influencing Voltaire and Rousseau. He contributed to classical republicanism and the liberal theory, his ideas along with Voltaire’s thoughts can be observed in the American Constitution as well as in the Declaration of Independence. All philosophers of the enlightenment era, agreed in the idea of the separation of the Church and the government, which is seen in the United States government and most other countries around the world.
Francis Bacon and René Descartes “published important books that inspired generations of scientists and scholars.” Many historians consider them to be the “Fathers of the Enlightenment” Bacon was born in England and believed that science was capable of freeing regular people from “ignorance” and permit them to live a “more productive and comfortable lives.” He encouraged a “rational approach to science based on experimentation and arriving to a conclusion based on careful observation.” Meanwhile, René Descartes, a French Mathematician, published a book that “proclaimed that reason and mathematics were all that one really needed to discover truth in the sciences.” Descartes invented a new type of mathematics called “Analytic Geometry.” Which is a discipline used and studied even today.
The ideas of Bacon and Descartes led to the “development of what is called the Scientific Method” which is a series of steps that can be followed and will help to solve scientific
inquiries.
The Scientific method allowed science to grow and became a fundamental scheme to solve scientific studies. The impact to the Scientific Method can be observed this one was used by Isaac Newton, an Englishman who was born just six years before Descartes died. Newton owns much of his advances in science thanks to the Scientific Method, as he used it to make investigations is known for his brilliant work as he invented Calculus, he also made great discoveries in Optics—the science of light and he was able to understand and mathematically formulate the laws of gravity; he also formulated the laws of motions, which allowed Newton to calculate the weights of the Sun and planets and predict the paths of comets. He wrote the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica that shaped “the mathematical principles of mathematical philosophy.” The book changed people’s understanding of the universe, and influenced scientific thinking for the next two centuries.
These Scientific discoveries are just mere examples of how the enlightenment period has shaped today’s worldviews of science and the world, as it would be impossible to have today’s technologies and scientific advances without the scientific innovations of the enlightenment era.