Thinkers During The Enlightenment

In the late 17th and 18th century there were these thinkers also known as philosophers. They changed the way we think today. They called this period of time the enlightenment also known as the age of reason. The enlightenment started in the 17th and 18th century in europe. Philosophers would meet in places called salons to discuss political, religious, economic, and social questions. The starting question is what was the main goal of the thinkers. There were several thinkers named philosophers that tried reasoning with the world. They thought about things like politics, religion, economic, and social questions. One of the first philosophers was John Locke. When lock was first born the England government was an absolute monarchy. He grew up thinking that the government was bad. Locke thought that people should run the government. He thought that people were born good. “When the government is dissolved the people are at liberty to provide for themselves by erecting a new legislative.” This means that the people need to be responsible and at the appropriate time to over through the leader and elect a new leader. So locks main idea was that the people were good before the government corrupted them and this changed the way people thought about government.

Voltaire was a famous writer who wrote poems, novels,essays,plays, and over 20,000 personal letters. Voltaire thought people should be able to chose their own religion. “If one religion only were allowed in england, the government would very possibly become arbitrary.” This basically meant if there were only one religion people would rebel against the government. If there were only two religions they both would fight and eventually take the government down with them. If there were several religions like there are in the united states as it in now there wouldn't be any fighting about religion. The one thing Locke and Voltaire had in common was they believed in the right to