The Age of
Enlightenment
• Also known as “The Age of Reason”
• Scientific Revolution paved the way as
Natural Laws that applied to nature
were now Natural Rights that applied to
society.
• Led to discovery of the world outside of
Europe and the Columbian Exchange
• Enlightened philosophers (aka
philosophies in French) and writers
Enlightened Philosophers
(aka philosophies in French)
and Writers
Thomas Hobbes
• The Leviathan publish in 1651.
• Without government, people would constantly be fighting
amongst themselves.
• Life without government would be "poor, nasty, brutish,
and short."
• The purpose of government is to ensure peace and
security through whatever means necessary.
• Government is a contract between citizens and their ruler.
In this contract, citizens give up rights for the guarantee of
peace and security.
• The best government is one in which the ruler has
absolute power.
• People never have the right to rebel.
John Locke
• Government is a contract between citizens and their
rulers.
• People have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.
• The purpose of government is:
– to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property.
– to create order in society.
• Citizens have the right to rebel against a government
that does not respect the rights of its citizens.
• Rulers should stay in power only as long as they have
the consent of the people they govern.
• Locke’s ideas influenced authors of US Declaration of
Independence and French revolutionaries in the 1790s.
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet
• Considered the most important of the
enlightenment philosophers
• Prolific writer; His satire Candide is his
most famous work.
• Fought for tolerance, reason, and freedom
of thought, expression, and religious belief
• Twice imprisoned in the Bastille
• Fought against prejudice and superstition
• Deism: system of thought that denies the
interference of the Creator with the laws of
the universe.
Freedom of thought is most important: "I
do not agree with a word you say but I will
defend to the death your right to say it."
Baron d’Montesquieu
• The Spirit of Laws 1748
• Advocated separation of powers and
checks and balances to keep any
individual or group from gaining complete
control of the government.
• One of the greatest influences on the US
Constitution.
Rousseau
• Swiss philosopher
• The Social Contract
• Although born good, people are corrupted by
society.
• Government should be a contract between
people, not between the people and a ruler.
• People should give up some freedom in favor of
the General Will of the people.
• People are equal and have a right to individual
freedom.
Beccaria
• Believed laws existed to preserve social
order
• Advocated a criminal justice system based
on fairness and reason
Adam Smith
• A Physiocrat: Natural laws govern the
economy.
• Wrote The Wealth of Nations
• Called for the economic freedom of
individuals, by keeping the government
from interfering in the economy.
• Believed an “invisible hand” (the law of
supply and demand and competition)
would guide the economy.
Mary Wollstonecraft
• Vindication of the Rights of Women
• Argued for women’s right to become
educated and to participate in politics
• Believed women, like men, need
education to become virtuous and useful.
Denis Diderot
• Spread enlightened thinking in all
areas by publishing the
Encyclopedia, a 28 volumes of
collected knowledge and the new
ideas of the Scientific Revolution
and the enlightenment
• First to use an alphabetical format
How did Enlightenment writers and
thinkers set the stage for
revolutionary movements?
• Encouraged people to judge for
themselves what was right or wrong in
society
– Rely on human reason to solve social
problems
