enlightenment thinkers believed that human progress was possible through: the application of...
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The Enlightenment
Enlightenment (Age of Reason)
Enlightenment thinkers believed that human progress was possible through:
• the application of scientific knowledge & reason to the issues of law & government
Enlightenment (Age of Reason)
The Enlightenment:
• Applied reason to the human world, not just natural world
• Stimulated religious tolerance
• Fueled democratic revolutions around the world
Enlightenment Thinkers & Ideas
Thomas Hobbes• Leviathan
Humans exist in a primitive “state of nature”
Humans consent to government for self-protection
The state must have central authority to manage behavior
Enlightenment Thinkers & Ideas John Locke
• Two Treatises on Government
People are sovereign
Monarchs are not chosen by God (“divine right”)
Social Contract Consent to government for protection of natural rights to life, liberty & property
Enlightenment Thinkers & Ideas
Montesquieu• The Spirit of Laws The best form of government includes a separation of powers
Enlightenment Thinkers & Ideas Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• The Social Contract Government is a contract between the rulers & the people
Enlightenment Thinkers & Ideas Voltaire
• Religious toleration should triumph over religious fanaticism
• Separation of church & state
Influence of the Enlightenment
Political philosophies of the Enlightenment fueled revolutions in the Americas & France
Enlightenment ideas influenced:• Declaration of Independence (T.
Jefferson)• US Constitution• Bill of Rights