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22.2 Notes

The document discusses the Enlightenment and key philosophers that influenced it. It began as a movement started by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke that stressed reason and thought over tradition. Hobbes argued people need a sovereign ruler to provide order, while Locke believed humans have natural rights to life, liberty, and property and government should protect these. Major Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Beccaria advanced ideas around reason, natural law, happiness, progress, and liberty. They wrote works advocating for changes in politics, justice systems, and greater individual freedoms and rights.

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84 views2 pages

22.2 Notes

The document discusses the Enlightenment and key philosophers that influenced it. It began as a movement started by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke that stressed reason and thought over tradition. Hobbes argued people need a sovereign ruler to provide order, while Locke believed humans have natural rights to life, liberty, and property and government should protect these. Major Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Beccaria advanced ideas around reason, natural law, happiness, progress, and liberty. They wrote works advocating for changes in politics, justice systems, and greater individual freedoms and rights.

Uploaded by

skrupnikoff
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sam Krupnikoff, 22.

2, A, WC
Enlightenment

new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the
power of individuals to solve problems, started from two English
political thinkers: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

Hobbess Social
Contract

since people go after their self-interests so they need a leader to


provide law and order, therefore ruler needs complete control, this is
system is called a sovereign

Lockes Natural
Rights

more positive beliefs, believed humans needed to learn from their


mistakes, as reasonable beings should govern their own affairs,
believed everyone is born free and equal with 3 rights: life, liberty, and
property, government needs to protect these rights

Philosophies
Advance Reason

1. Reason Enlightened thinkers believed truth could be


discovered through reason or logical thinking
2. Nature The philosophes believed that what was natural
was also good and reasonable
3. Happiness The philosophes rejected the medieval
notion that people should find joy in the hereafter and urged
people to seek well-being on earth
4. Progress The philosophes stressed that society and
humankind could improve
5. Liberty The philosophes called for the liberties that the
English people had won in their Glorious Revolution and Bill of
Rights

Voltaire

pen name, most brilliant/influential philosophes of the time period,


published 70+ books of: political essays, philosophy, and drama

Montesquieu

another influential philosophes, devoted himself to study of political


liberty, power should be based on check of power (separation of
powers),

Rousseau

third great philosophes, committed to individual freedom, won


recognition as essay writer, argued civilization corrupted peoples
natural goodness

Beccaria

believed in abolishment of torture, Italian philosophe believed in


changing justice system

Mary Wollstonecraft

believe in women's rights, 1792 wrote A Vindication of the Rights of


Woman

Summary

Many philosophes helped change government and political viewpoints.

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