Enlightenment Thinkers
Who is John Locke?
He believed in natural rights: life, liberty and property
What is reason?
Enlightenment thinkers believed decisions should be based on this, rather than tradition or superstition.
Who is Copernicus?
He proposed the heliocentric model of the universe.
What is Leviathan?
Thomas Hobbes wrote this book describing life as “nasty, brutish, and short.”
What is the Declaration of Independence?
Enlightenment ideas greatly influenced this 1776 U.S. document.
Who is Voltaire?
This French Writer and satirist supported freedom of speech and religion.
What is the social contract?
The belief that people give up some freedoms to gain protection from the government.
Who is Isaac Newton?
He discovered the laws of gravity and motion.
What is Two Treatises of Government?
John Locke’s work that argued for natural rights.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
This American Founding Father was deeply influenced by Enlightenment thinkers.
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
He believed people are naturally selfish and need a strong ruler.
What is the Church?
Enlightenment thinkers often rejected this institution’s dominance over knowledge.
What is the scientific method?
This method emphasized observation, hypothesis, and experimentation.
What is The Social Contract?
Rousseau’s book on government and general will.
What is the French Revolution?
Enlightenment ideas led to this major political revolution in France.
Who is Montesquieu?
This French philosopher wrote "The Spirit of the Laws" and promoted the separation of powers.
What is criminal justice?
The movement encouraged reforms in this area of law, such as fair trials and no torture.
Who is Galileo Galilei?
He improved the telescope and confirmed heliocentric theory.
What is The Spirit of the Laws?
Montesquieu wrote this work analyzing different forms of government.
What is separation of powers?
The idea that government powers should be divided into branches.
Who is Denis Diderot?
He compiled Enlightenment ideas into the Encyclopedia.
What is progress?
The idea that knowledge and society can always be improved.
Who is John Locke?
He believed the human mind begins as a "blank slate."
What is The Wealth of Nations?
Adam Smith’s book that laid the foundations of capitalism.
What is democracy?
Rule by the people, a central idea of Enlightenment political thought.