Enlightenment Philosophers
Hobbes
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Believed in the Social Contract
a. people give up individual liberties in return for social order
The natural condition of humans is one of continuous conflict and competition
Supporter of absolute monarchy
Believed anarchy to be a state of nature
Wrote Leviathan (1651)
a. Concerns the structure of society and legitimate government
b. “The war of all against all” could only be averted by strong central government
c. Governments were forged to keep people from destroying each other
Said life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”
Locke
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English philosopher who establishes several key ideas of the Enlightenment
His Essay Concerning Human Understanding asserts
a. that humans are born without any previous knowledge
b. the mind is a tabula rasa or blank slate upon which life experience is written
c. thus the environment of the person influences what he/she will become
Believed in the individual, natural rights of man:
a. Life, Liberty, & Property
b. People would not and could not willingly surrender their fundamental natural
rights
c. Government existed to protect those rights, and if they didn’t, it should be
overthrown
Supporter of Democracy
Wrote Two Treatises on Government
Locke argues in Of Civil Government that human beings are essentially good and equal
and that government must receive the consent of the governed to be just
Locke’s optimistic, liberal position contrasts with that of Hobbes
Montesquieu
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French aristocrat who saw humans life as a comedy and satire
Climate and Circumstances determine the form of Governments
Published The Spirit of the Laws (1748) where he champions freedom and condemns
slavery as “unnatural”
He also describes a constitutional monarchy in which the three branches, legislative,
executive, and judicial, are free and independent of one another, creating a system of
checks and balances
His idea of checks and balances would influence the US Constitution
Voltaire
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François-Marie Arouet, French writer, historian, and philosopher
Strong supporter of Freedom of Speech, Thought, & Religion
Believed humans are liars, traitors, ingrates, thieves, misers, killers, fanatics, hypocrites,
fools and so on. Yet, it’s normal.
Believed Gov’ts should ensure personal freedoms
Satirist, famous for his wit, who wrote about the French Monarchy, the nobility, and the
church
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Wrote Candide & Philosophical Letters
Imprisoned twice in France for his views
Rousseau
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Genevan philosopher and writer
Argued people are naturally good, but society corrupts them through environment,
education and laws
Did not trust reason, believed it brought corruption and misery
Opposed strong government, government is created and controlled by the people
Writes the Social Contract & Émile (1762)
a. Advances the idea of the “noble savage,” the pre-civilized man who acts in
accordance to his better nature
b. Argues that those who belong to the state should submit to the common good
for which it is created
c. In Émile, he turns his attention to education, asserting that the young person
should be able to learn through direct experience of the world and allow his
natural inclinations to lead him
Kant
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German philosopher who published important works on science, religion, law, and
history, believing himself to be creating a compromise between empiricism &
rationalism
Writes Critique of Practical Reason in 1788
Argues that ethical behavior should be guided by the “Categorical Imperative,” in which
an individual must always bear in mind what would happen if all people acted as he or
she does
The individual’s experience is expanded to embrace universal conditions of right and
wrong
Bases his morality on rational understanding rather than love
Wollstonecraft
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British philosopher, writer and early spokesperson for Women’s Rights
Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
Argued the ideals of equality should be extended to women as well as men.
Governments should extend political rights to women as well
Advocates for a ‘revolution of female manners’ which would give women education and
improve them morally
Condemns the stereotypical view of women as weak, intellectually inferior, and docile
Smith
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Scottish economist, moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics
Used reason to analyze economic systems
The Wealth of Nations (1776) advanced free market enterprise, i.e. Capitalism
Strong believer in laissez-faire economics, “the Invisible Hand,” and no government
regulation
Believed economy would be stronger if market forces of supply and demand were
allowed to work freely
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