Enlightenment Thinkers Flashcards (copy)

Flashcards covering key Enlightenment thinkers, their ideas, and their legacies.

Locke

Natural rights, right to rebel; Developed social contract - government should be consent of the governed → Pro- liberty, religious tolerance, & rights to life & poverty

Hobbes

Social contract, need for strong ruler; Believed humans were naturally evil → should give up freedom to monarch in order to insure order & security

Montesquieu

Separation of powers; Supported republic → limited government → separation of powers, checks & balances

Voltaire

Freedom of speech and religion; supported republican ideals → freedom of religion & speech → against prejudice/superstition

Rousseau

General will, direct democracy; civilization is corrupted → government guided by "general will" → consent of governed

Wollstonecraft

Women's rights, education; women equality → education for women (only inferior because of illiteracy)

Beccaria

Legal reform, against torture; against capital punishment & judicial torture → punishment should be secular

Legacy of Locke

Inspired democracy and liberalism

Legacy of Hobbes

Justified strong central authority

Legacy of Montesquieu

U.S. and French government structure

Legacy of Voltaire

Civil liberties, secularism

Legacy of Rousseau

French Revolution, popular sovereignty

Legacy of Wollstonecraft

Early feminism

Legacy of Beccaria

Modern criminal justice