Enlightenment Thinkers

Voltaire

Main Point: Advocated for civil liberties, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Main Work: 'Candide'.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Main Point: Advocated for women's rights and education, arguing that women should not be dependent on men. Main Work: 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'.

Rousseau

Main Point: Believed in the importance of the social contract and general will, emphasizing that governments should be based on the collective will of the people. Main Work: 'The Social Contract'.

John Locke

Main Point: Known for his theories on government by consent and natural rights (life, liberty, property). Main Work: 'Two Treatises of Government'.

Adam Smith

Main Point: Introduced concepts of capitalism and the invisible hand, advocating for free markets and economic competition. Main Work: 'The Wealth of Nations'.

Montesquieu

Main Point: Advocated for the separation of powers in government to prevent tyranny and preserve liberty. Main Work: 'The Spirit of the Laws'.

Thomas Hobbes

Main Point: Argued that humans are inherently selfish and that a strong central authority is necessary to maintain order. Main Work: 'Leviathan'.

Adam Smith

Main Point: Introduced concepts of capitalism and the invisible hand, advocating for free markets and economic competition. Main Work: 'The Wealth of Nations'.

Montesquieu

Main Point: Advocated for the separation of powers in government to prevent tyranny and preserve liberty. Main Work: 'The Spirit of the Laws'.

Thomas Hobbes

Main Point: Argued that humans are inherently selfish and that a strong central authority is necessary to maintain order. Main Work: 'Leviathan'.