The Enlightenment Essay
What was the Enlightenment philosophes main idea? Big and important change requires big and important ideas. During the 18th century in
Europe, a group of welleducated people called philosophes thought about ideas on how to change the society they lived in, and improve it. They relied on reason and observing nature for their ideas. One big idea that the philosophes focused on is freedom. They believed that allowing people more freedom and decreasing government control would make their society better. The Enlightenment philosophers main idea was to improve society by making all people free and equal in the following areas: government, religion, economy, and gender. In order for philosophes to improve society, they needed to change government. The
English philosophe, John Locke, believed that good government begins with individual freedom. In his book, Second Freatise on Civil Government, Locke states "creatures of the same species and rank...should be equal amongst another without subordination or subjection..." (Document A). He thought that all people are born free in a state of nature and they have the right to preserve that freedom. "(W)hen the government is dissolved, the people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new legislative, ... " "... And a fair and impartial excecution of the laws made by it. " (Document A). He also thought that the best way for them to do that is to create a government with a legislative branch that makes laws and an excecutive branch that carries out those laws. Locke is a man of significant words, but no two words are more important than liberty and freedom. In order for philosophes to improve society they needed to change economics. The Scottish philosophe, Adam Smith, believed that individual economic freedom would make both individuals and countries wealthier. Before Adam Smith wrote his book, The Wealth of
Nations, it was common for governments to
Europe, a group of welleducated people called philosophes thought about ideas on how to change the society they lived in, and improve it. They relied on reason and observing nature for their ideas. One big idea that the philosophes focused on is freedom. They believed that allowing people more freedom and decreasing government control would make their society better. The Enlightenment philosophers main idea was to improve society by making all people free and equal in the following areas: government, religion, economy, and gender. In order for philosophes to improve society, they needed to change government. The
English philosophe, John Locke, believed that good government begins with individual freedom. In his book, Second Freatise on Civil Government, Locke states "creatures of the same species and rank...should be equal amongst another without subordination or subjection..." (Document A). He thought that all people are born free in a state of nature and they have the right to preserve that freedom. "(W)hen the government is dissolved, the people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new legislative, ... " "... And a fair and impartial excecution of the laws made by it. " (Document A). He also thought that the best way for them to do that is to create a government with a legislative branch that makes laws and an excecutive branch that carries out those laws. Locke is a man of significant words, but no two words are more important than liberty and freedom. In order for philosophes to improve society they needed to change economics. The Scottish philosophe, Adam Smith, believed that individual economic freedom would make both individuals and countries wealthier. Before Adam Smith wrote his book, The Wealth of
Nations, it was common for governments to