Enlightenment Thinkers Research Paper

674 Words3 Pages
The 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries ushered in a whole new world of thought and discoveries, a time period known as the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment. This time period made a departure from the previous views of the world and how it works, and also changed the view on humanity, which helped lead to new scientific thought and views on social order. Many great scientist and thinkers came out of this era, bringing the old ways of thinking to a more scientific and rational ideologies. Ultimately, the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment discarded the previous ways of thought, leading to new views on social class, the role of religion, types of government, and economics. With a new found focus on science, technology, and humanity,…show more content…
The idea that all men are born equal was very popular within Enlightenment thinkers. They pushed and wrote on how governments need to be changed in order for this to happen. They believed even the “primitive” races were equal. They spoke avidly against slavery, condemning the American and other European colonies. However, through all of these efforts towards equality, women were still not seen as equal. Many women published books speaking out for women, such as A Serious Proposal to the Ladies by Mary Astel. Some male Enlightenment thinkers thought that women should have better education, but most believed in the old ways that women should not be involved in public affairs and should stick to work in the…show more content…
Three examples of varying ideas on government are the philosophes Voltaire, Montesquie, and Rousseau. Voltaire believed in absolutism, but the monarch had to be a well-educated, enlightened individual. He argued that only through this, could true equality come to be. Montesquie expressed his beliefs in his book, The Spirit of the Laws. He believed that every country was under different circumstances, and therefore required different forms of governments. He also developed the system of checks and balances, so the government could not get to powerful and the peoples rights could be protected. In 1762, in The Social Contract, Rousseau stated his side of the argument. He started on a democratic theory. He believed people should be free, and should come together and have a “contract” and make the laws themselves, instead of a monarch or representative

More about Enlightenment Thinkers Research Paper

Open Document