Enlightenment Philosophers

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Enlightenment Philosophers

• European Philosophers in the 1600s and 1700s

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Thomas Hobbes

• 1588-1679, English
• Lived through the English Civil War (1642-1651)
  this influenced many of his ideas
• Human nature people are naturally cruel, greedy,
  and selfish
• The Leviathan was his most famous work.

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The Leviathan

• All men fear death and will do whatever necessary
  to prevent it, including killing others.
• This keeps the world constantly in conflict and
  war not in mans best interest.
• Social contract an agreement by which people
  give up their freedom for an organized society
• Only a powerful government (absolute monarch) can
  ensure an orderly society where people do not
  continually kill others. This is in everyones
  best interest.

4
John Locke

• 1632-1704, English
• People are basically reasonable and moral.
• Wrote Two Treatises of Government
• Wrote the Treatises to defend the Glorious
  Revolution of 1688 when William and Mary
  peacefully overtook the English throne from King
  James II

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Second Treatise of Government

• Labor is a natural right of man. Labor is the
  way men acquire property. This property is then
  a natural right to man as well.
• Natural rights rights that belong to all humans
  from birth
• People form governments to protect their natural
  rights. The best government is limited in power
  and accepted by all citizens (social contract).

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Baron de Montesquieu

• 1689-1755, French
• Greatly influenced by the success of the Glorious
  Revolution and the passing of the throne from
  powerful Louis XIV to weak Louis XV
• Balanced view of people they can be good and
  bad.
• Wrote The Spirit of the Laws

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Spirit of the Laws

• Three types of government
• Monarchies (principle of honor)
• Republics (principle of virtue)
• Despotism (principle of fear)
• Government should be set up so that no man need
  be afraid of another."
• Branches of government legislative, executive,
  and judicial
• Separating the powers of government is the best
  way to protect liberty for the people and keep
  government officials from fearing each other.

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Voltaire

• 1694-1779, French
• Candide is his most famous work.
• Fought for civil rights protections
• and privileges of personal power given
• to all citizens by the law of a government
• Most concerned with the right to a fair trial and
  freedom of religion
• Rejected the ancien régime (unfair balance of
  power among the three levels of society) for
  their hypocrisy and injustices

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Denis Diderot

• 1713-1784, French
• Had great confidence in the lower classes all
  people have the ability to learn
• Wrote Encyclopédie despite the intense
  controversy surrounding it

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Encyclopédie

• Philosophy love of, or the search for, wisdom or
  knowledge
• His purpose was to change the general way of
  thinking by explaining ideas of government,
  philosophy, and religion.
• Aristocracy disliked the Encyclopédie because it
  included ideas like religious tolerance and
  freedom of thought that undermined their
  authority.
• Claimed that the main concern of the nation's
  government ought to be the nation's common
  people.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• 1712-1778, French
• Believed that people were basically good in the
  state of nature, but corrupted by society
• Wrote The Social Contract
• "Man is born free, and he is everywhere in
  chains.

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The Social Contract

• Society puts men in competition with one another
  but also makes them dependent on each other.
• This problem can be overcome by a social
  contract people give up some rights to a
  government to achieve order
• General will the best conscience of the people
• People will obey the laws of the general will
  because they are part author of the law and the
  laws also ensure their survival.