Enlightenment Thinkers Flashcards

Flashcards covering key figures and concepts of the Enlightenment period.

Who wrote 'The Leviathan' and advocated for absolute monarchy?

Thomas Hobbes

Which Enlightenment thinker championed natural rights like life, liberty, and property?

John Locke

Who authored 'The Social Contract' and introduced the concept of 'tabula rasa'?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Which philosopher promoted the idea of checks and balances in government in 'The Spirit of the Laws'?

Baron de Montesquieu

Who advocated for freedom of speech and challenged the Church in his writings, such as 'Candide'?

Voltaire

Which Enlightenment figure emphasized knowledge as power and promoted science and education through the 'Encyclopedia'?

Diderot

Who explored the limits of human understanding in 'The Critique of Pure Reason' and discussed free will and moral laws?

Immanuel Kant

Which writer advocated for feminism and gender equality in 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'?

Mary Wollstonecraft

Who is considered the father of capitalism and introduced the concept of the 'invisible hand' in 'The Wealth of Nations'?

Adam Smith

Which thinker argued for the proportionality of crime and punishment in 'On Crimes and Punishments'?

Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria

Who posited that population growth would outstrip resource availability leading to conflict and mortality?

Thomas Malthus

Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson

Which 'enlightened despot' of Poland who created a faithful reform, converted to Russian Orthodox, and supported the arts?

Catherine the Great

What was another name for the Enlightenment?

Age of Reason

What were the French philosophers during the Enlightenment called?

Philosophes

What does it mean when they say that crime should fit the punishment?

The punishment for crime should be appropriate to the severity of the crime.