World Studies Notes
Enlightenment Philosopher and Thinkers
Who was
Thomas
Hobbes and
what did he
believe?
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Who was
John Locke
and what did
he believe?
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Who was
Montesquieu
and what did
he believe?
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Who was
Voltaire and
what did he
believe?
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Who was
Rousseu and
what did he
believe?
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English philosopher
Believed in natural law which is a universal moral law of truth and reason can be used to
explain all things
Tried to used natural law to explain government
Used natural law to argue an absolute monarchy (powerful king) was the best form of
government
Believed violence and disorder came naturally to humans and without government chaos
would occur (state of nature)
Believed people should form a social contract which is an agreement between people to
give up freedom and obey the rules of the ruler
Said people did not have the right to rebel against an unjust government
Wrote book called Leviathan in 1651
English Philosopher
Struggled with the idea of natural law and government
Based his theories on the ideas of natural law
Believed people in a state of nature were reasonable and moral and had natural rights—
natural rights are rights belonging to every human and include life, liberty and property
Writings were widely read in the Americas—Thomas Jefferson was influenced by Locke’s
ideas
Believed if governments failed in protecting the rights of the people, the people had the right
to overthrow the government
Wrote book called Two Treatises of Government
Strongly believed in the rights of individuals
Promoted the idea of separation of powers—believed power should be divided equally
among the legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch—believed the
legislative branch should make the laws, the executive branch should enforce the laws, and
the judicial branch should interpret the laws and judge violations
Wrote The Spirit of Laws, 1748
French author who wrote poetry, plays, essays, and books in an entertaining and satirical
manner
Most famous satire was Candide, which challenged the notion that everything happens for
the best
Often in legal trouble in France—was exiled to England
Believed in free speech, relative freedom of the press, and religious freedom
French philosopher
Believed human beings were naturally good but civilization and institutions corrupted them
(made them bad) – urged people to throw off civilization and return to nature as much as
possible (think simple life)
Believed people relied too heavily on reason and that they should rely more on instinct and
emotion
Wanted education to preserve a child’s natural goodness
Wrote several books; La Nouvelle Heloise (1760), Emile (1762), and his most famous book
The Social Contract (1762)
Believed sovereignty (the right to rule) rested with the people (popular sovereignty)
Believed people gave up individual rights to the general will (will of the majority)