AP Euro Philosophers

Hobbes — harsh

Believed humans are selfish and violent

Locke — locks rights

Taught that people are born with natural rights (life

Rousseau — rule of the people

Believed people are naturally good but corrupted by society; supported government based on the general will (The Social Contract).

Voltaire — voice

Fought for freedom of speech and religion

Diderot — dictionary

Edited the Encyclopédie to spread Enlightenment ideas about science

Montesquieu — many branches

Promoted separation of powers in government to prevent tyranny (Spirit of the Laws).

Beccaria — bars (prison)

Argued for legal reform: fair trials

Mary Wollstonecraft — women

Early feminist who argued women deserve education and equality (Vindication of the Rights of Woman).