Enlightenment

Enlightenment- A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines, and traditions, and that brought about many humanitarian reforms.

Thomas Hobbes



Influence to the Enlightenment: He wrote The Leviathan in 1651, which was his personal view of society as a whole. It was because of the horror of the English Civil War that he believed that all humans where evil, thus these views where expressed in The Leviathan. Hobbes also created a social contract in which the people created there own government.

Major Work(s): The Leviathan

Interesting Fact: Hobbes lived to be 90, and translated the works of Homer










John Locke



Influence to the Enlightenment: Created the theory of life, liberty, and property which our constitutions is based off of. He also created his own version of the social contract theory, but his view of people and society were more positive then Hobbes. He felt that...