The major ideas from the enlightenment had a great affect on our time. Locke's idea of natural rights - life, liberty, and property had helped to make the fundamental to U.S declaration of independence. Voltaire's freedom of thought and expression and Beccaria’s Abolishment of torture are in the bill of rights.
2. In your opinion, which are the two most important enlightenment ideas? Support your answers with reasons.
In my opinion the two most important enlightenments are Voltaire’s and Montesquieu ideas, the freedom of thought and expression and separation of powers. Separation of powers had impacted the United States, France, and Latin America nations in their constitutions. It made balance of power in each government to make sure one government doesn’t become too powerful. Freedom of thought and expression was is in the bill of rights to give people rights.
3) Indentify
Enlightenment: the ideas of the Scientific Revolution paved the way for a new movement or the age of reason.
Social contract: an agreement, by which people created government.
John Locke: a philosopher who made the idea that everybody had equal rights.
Natural rights: An idea that john Locke made saying that people are born free and equal.
Philosophes: the social critics of Enlightenment in France.
Voltaire: a philosophe who created the idea of freedom of thought and expression and religion.
Montesquieu: a French writer who devoted himself to political liberty.
Separation of powers: the division of power among different branches.
Jean Jacques Rousseau: another philosopher who was committed to individual freedom.
Mary Wollstonecraft: a woman that believed and said that woman, like men need education to become virtuous and useful.
Synthesizing
For each of the statements below, identify who said it and explain what it means. Then say how each viewpoint reflects enlightenment ideas.
“Power should be a check to power.”
Baron de Montesquieu said “Power should be a check to power”. It means that one branch can check on another branch to make sure one branch is not getting a lot of power; it is a way to check on one another to keep things in balance. This reflects the enlightenment idea separation of powers that kept things in balance.
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”
Jeans Jacques Rousseau said “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” This meant that men live free and equal.
“Let women share the rights and she will emulate the virtues of men.”
Mary Wollstonecraft said “let women share the rights and she will emulate the virtues of men.” This meant that if woman are given same rights as men, she would do the same thing as men.
