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How Did The Enlightenment Shaped The Modern World?

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How Did The Enlightenment Shaped The Modern World?
The Enlightenment was a movement between the 17th and 18th centuries marked by the introduction of new ideas that influenced the relationship between the people and their governments. The shift mainly occurred towards scientific thought and away from absolute faith in religion and ancient texts. The Enlightenment was influenced by its thinkers, such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbs. Even though the thinkers had different views on human nature and how government should be run, they shaped the modern world through their philosophy. Without the Enlightenment and its ideas, people would still be under tyranny and wouldn’t have a voice of their own. The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, drastically changed the modern world as we know it. This can be seen in how people perceive natural phenomena. Before the Enlightenment, people associated natural …show more content…
There were two different thought processes on the relationship between people and their government, each by different people, namely Thomas Hobbs and John Locke, both of whom were influential figures in their time. Even though both men believed in the concept of the social contract, they had opposing views on human nature and, by extension, why it should be present. For example, Hobbes thought people were inherently flawed and needed a government to keep them in check. In contrast, Locke thought that people were a black state and had no characteristics besides those they learned from the people around them (Cook). The philosophers had different opinions about the importance of nature vs. nurture and its effect on governments. The work of Locke and Hobbs regarding the social contract provided a basis for revolutions even after the two philosophers died, most notably the American Revolution, which would only have happened with the ideas brought on by Locke and Hobbes (Amsco School

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