Influential Enlightenment Thinkers

A collection of flashcards on key concepts and influential thinkers of the Enlightenment period, focusing on their ideas and contributions to modern governance.

Baron Montesquieu

A French philosopher known for advocating the separation of powers in government.

Separation of Powers

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to prevent any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker who believed in the concepts of freedom and democracy, asserting that man is born free.

Natural Rights

Rights that individuals have under natural law, emphasized by John Locke as including life, liberty, and property.

John Locke

An English philosopher whose ideas on governance and human rights influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Voltaire

A major Enlightenment figure known for advocating freedom of speech, civil liberties, and the separation of church and state.

Religious Freedom

The right to practice any religion or no religion at all, strongly advocated by Voltaire.

Toleration

The practice of allowing people to think or practice other beliefs, essential for a free society according to Voltaire.

Quote: 'Freedom is the power to choose our own chains.'

A quotation by Rousseau, suggesting that individuals can impose constraints on their freedom.

Quote: 'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.'

A statement by Voltaire emphasizing the dangers of accepting false truths.