Enlightenment

John Locke's idea

• social contract; absolute monarch provides law & order

• women deserve rights to life, liberty, & property

• power of government comes from the people; social contract includes natural rights

• the people vote for their current government

Adam Smith's idea

• mercantilism

• laissez-faire economics

• socialism

• communism

Beccaria's idea

• competition is good for consumers, and supply & demand helps determine prices

• women should have natural rights

• divide the power of the government into branches

• no mistreatment of the accused

Voltaire's idea

• tolerate different religious beliefs and allow free speech

• nobles deserve their titles and privileges

• church officials should be the absolute final authority on religion

• Geocentric theory is correct, and shouldn't be questioned

Wollstonecraft's idea

• no torture of prisoners should be allowed

• branches of government provides checks & balances

• the invisible hand directs business owners to make economic decisions

• women should be able to own property, testify in court, & get a divorce if they desire to

Hobbes' idea

• thought people kept several natural rights, even after social contract was enacted

• liked strong governments without limits on its power

• thought people had the right to rebel if government didn't protect their rights

• liked limited governments that had been voted into power

Rousseau's idea

• government needs to stay out of business decision making

• enlightened despots are an acceptable choice

• government leaders are chosen by popular sovereignty (a vote)

• women deserve all the rights that men have naturally

Montesquieu's idea

• the French government is best because it has absolute monarchs

• dividing government power up (in branches) is safest

• there's no such thing as an enlightened despot - an oxymoron

• capitalism is best because it gives people natural rights

Which idea was shared by many enlightenment writers?

• Slavery is acceptable because some "people" don't have rights

• State -run churches are the best way to do religion

• Social contract - government power comes from the people

• Education is only for the rich and powerful people in society

the Age of Enlightenment was

• a time, just before the scientific revolution, when people expressed religious views opposing the catholic church directly

• a time when, during the scientific revolution, people changed the curriculum taught in schools, to reflect new discoveries

• a time, just after the scientific revolution, when people wrote about new ideas related to society, education, & government

• a time, during the Ming dynasty in China, when Buddhism taught how to achieve soul enlightenment