The Main Assumptions Of The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment (1685-1815) was a period of time in which a movement regarding intellect and philosophy was popularized mainly in European countries such as France and England. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were inspired to observe and experiment with the world they lived in in an effort to fully understand why and how it was the way that it was. The Enlightenment began because of the combination of several factors. This included the rise of the middle class and an increase in what they could afford, access to new resources as a result of colonization, the rise of different religions and sciences, and the rapidly changing world that made people believe it was an era of great change. Because of these factors, people began to critique

Whether it be the laws of nature or the laws of man, there were certain rules set in stone that caused everything to act and operate a certain way. This era also redefined faith. Deism, the idea that God was a clockmaker that made specific rules for the universe, was a popular belief amongst philosophers. Along with this, it was assumed that the pursuit of knowledge of the world that humanity lives in would result in an overall happier and much more satisfying existence for both the individual and for the society as a whole. One chief model in the Enlightenment was John Locke. His most famous belief was the idea of Tabula Rasa, which was the belief that no human being is inherently good or evil, and instead, everyone is born as a completely blank slate. Therefore, people who had lived their lives in sin, could become better people through improvement. In terms of government, Locke believed that the government’s main duty was to protect the life, liberty, and property of its people. Along with this, he believed that education could easily change people and help to remedy virtually any problem they face in

Montesquieu was most famous for creating the idea of separation of powers. This stemmed from his belief that a government’s powers should be spread out across separate executives, branches, et cetera rather than all being given to one person. This idea is famously used today by the United States of America. Montesquieu also defined three forms of government. The first was the Republic. The Republic is governed by a group of individuals, such as a Congress or a Parliament, and virtue was necessary for these people to serve out the common good. The second type of government was the Monarchy. The Monarchy is ruled solely by one individual that values honor above all else. The final type of government was Despotism. Despotism was the rule of a single individual that went entirely unchecked. The people were ruled by fear as none of them could ever be safe under this