Philosophers Of The Enlightenment Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Philosophers Of The Enlightenment?
The Enlightenment was an intellectual and scientific movement that began in the 18th century and spread across Europe. It was a time of great philosophical thought, new ideas, discoveries, and advances in science. The Enlightenment is known as the Age of Reason because its thinkers were committed to rational inquiry. A number of these philosophers sought to use reason to explain natural phenomena and develop new ways of thinking about how humans should live their lives.John Locke is one of the most influential figures from this period. He believed that knowledge comes from experience rather than divine revelation or religious doctrine. He argued for individual liberty, religious toleration, and representative democracy as well as natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. He also wrote extensively on education and government philosophy which influenced many modern democracies today. Thomas Hobbes was another important figure during the Enlightenment who wrote extensively on political theory including his book Leviathan which argued for a strong central government with absolute power over citizens in order to preserve order in society. He believed that humans are naturally selfish creatures so only a powerful state could keep them from pursuing their own interests at the expense of others’ liberties. His writings shaped many aspects of economic thought including his view on labor markets as well as theories regarding taxation structure which still exists today in some form or another around the world. Another major philosopher during this period was Jean-Jacques Rousseau who wrote about social contract theory arguing that governments exist to protect citizens’ rights but can only do so if they have their citizens’ consent through voluntary agreement with rulers or laws made by representatives elected by those same people. This type of thinking has been used over time to shape many modern democracies around the world today where people vote for leaders who are meant to act according to their wishes while also protecting their rights under law or treaty agreements between different countries or political entities such as unions like the European Union (EU).