APWH Unit 5 - Enlightenment Thinkers

Thomas Hobbes (England) - “Leviathon”

Views on Life & Human Nature:

• people are naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish

• Need control and a social contract

• Agreement to give up the state of nature for an organized society

Views on Gov’t and Econ

• need a powerful gov’t to control people or they should fight, rob, and oppress one another

• Yes to absolute monarchy

• Gov’t control of Econ

Impact

• society needs some form of gov’t

John Locke (England) - “Two Treaties of Government”

Views on Life & Human Nature

• people are basically reasonable and moral

• Have natural rights that belong to all humans at birth

  • Life, liberty property

Views on Gov’t and Econ

• gov’t formed to protect natural rights

  • Limited power

  • Accepted by all citizens

• Rejected monarchy

  • Sided with parliament

• People have right to overthrow gov’t if it fails it’s obligations or violates natural rights

• Supports revolution

Impact

• ideas on Natural Rights

  • Life, liberty, property

    • Fundamental influence on US Declaration of Independence

The Baron de Montesquieu (France) - “On the Spirit of the Laws

Views on Life & Human Nature

• powers need to be balanced so that individuals do not abuse power

  • People are greedy

Views on Gov’t and Econ

• republican form of gov’t is BEST

  • Limited or no monarchy

• Division of power into 3 branches → protect liberty

  • Legislative, executive, judiciary

• There needs to be a system of checks and balances

Impact

• France, US, & Latin America nations all used separation of powers in new constitutions

Voltaire (France) - various titles of work

Views on Life and Human Nature

• wrote about the abuses against humanity

  • Inequality, injustice, superstition

• Detested the slave trade

• Believed in religious freedom

Views on Gov’t and Econ

• targeted corrupt officials & idle aristocrats

• He offended the gov’t and church

• Defended freedom of speech

  • “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Impact

• ideas on freedom of thought and expression were guaranteed in US Bill of Rights and French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

• Freedom of religion guaranteed in US Bill of Rights and French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

• Ideas influenced European monarchs to reduce or eliminate censorship and religious persecution

Cesare Bonesana Beccaria (Italy) - “On Crimes and Punishments”

Views on Life & Human Nature

• people should be treated fairly (no torture for criminals)

• No capital punishment

View on Gov’t and Econ

• laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes

• Gov’t’s should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Impact

• ideas on abolishment of torture influenced torture to be outlawed or reduced in nations of Europe and the Americas

• Abolishment of torture guaranteed in the US Constitution

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (France) - “The Social Contract”

Views on Life & Human Nature

• people are basically good but someone corrupted by evils of society (esp. unequal distribution of property)

• Committed to individual freedom

Views on Gov’t and Econ

• some control set by a freely formed gov’t are good

• In consenting to form a gov’t, people give up self-interest in favor of the common good

• Surrender rights to retain freedom

• Favors good of whole over the individual

  • Freedom is obedience to the law

• He had a hatred of the political and economic oppression of the time

Impact

• ideas on freedom that all people should be treated equal influenced US Declaration of Independence

• Ideas inspired leaders of the French Revolution

Mary Wollstonecraft (England) - “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”

Views on Life & Human Nature

• woman’s first duty is to be a good mother

• Woman should decide what is in own best interest and not be completely dependent on husband

Views on Gov’t & Econ

• called for equal education to ensure equal participation in public life

Impact

• influenced Women’s Rights Movement