The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas Essay - 748 Words

The ideas from the Enlightenment and its thinkers greatly influenced the world today, everything from our ideas of modern government to our view of everyday life. Important Enlightenment philosophes such as Locke, Montesquieu, Hobbes and Voltaire established controversial ideas and theories on human nature, natural rights, and how government should be run and which form of it was superior. These ideas were all never even thought of before, and shattered many of the previous notions of ideas, such as ideas of how to run government, that had already been established and taken as a standard for several hundreds of years. One of the first places these revolutionary ideas debuted in was around 17th century-era France, which, at the time, was†¦show more content†¦It wasnt until the American Revolution halfway across the world on the other side of the Atlantic ocean that the metaphorical seed planted in France finally sprouted. The Americans took these Enlightenment ideas of freedo m, liberty and equality, and immediately put them into effective action against British oppression, and thus the American Revolution began. The American Revolution borrowed heavily from Enlightenment ideas. In fact, Thomas Jefferson, a key character in the the Revolution, based his ideas directly on the ideas of Locke, declaring that all men were equal. Although he altered these ideas slightly by stating a more radical idea that the people could overthrow oppressive government, his idea that the government exists solely to serve its people was nonetheless identical to that of Locke. The American Revolution and the war in which they broke away from Britain produced the spark which ignited the already combustible revolutionary mood of France. Inspired by the Americans, the French Revolution was now at a full blaze. Peasants rioted, calling for Louis XVI to do something to end the crisis. The lower classes adhered more to the views of Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Locke, calling for fr eedom, equality and liberty from Louis XVI and an end to upper class privileges, while the upper class were leaning more towards the ideas of Hobbes, and favored a strong form of government to keep the people in order. Instability among theShow MoreRelatedThe Enlightenment Set the Stage for New Imperialism1362 Words   |  6 Pagesthe fairytale that these nations were in need of aid and by doing so the Europeans were the good guys. The ideas of new imperialism are greatly influenced by those of the enlightenment. Taking place during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the enlightenment was an intellectual movement with the goal of social progress (Genova, 1/11). Armed with scientific thought and reason, enlightenment thinkers set out to explore the fields of science, economics, and human nature. Brilliant minds such as VoltaireRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment And The Scientific Revolution1675 Words   |  7 PagesAge of Enlightenment delivered the greatest influence for the future American society and planted the way for cultural and humanistic enrichment. The Age of the Enlightenment raised new concepts in education, democracy, and human freedom. The new humanistic philosophy promoted the polish of the human intelligence and made education a longing that lasted in the following centuries. Names like John Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and many more, contributed with their ideas about reasoningRead MoreEssay on Revolution in Scientific Affairs977 Words   |  4 Pagesscientific thinking, which would eventually come to influence ideas about such wildly disparate fields of human endeavor as physics, religion, and governmental theory, shows that Francis Bacon played a major role in encouraging the growth of the Scientific Revolution. 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The Enlightenment Era, often called the Age of Reason, brought about many astonishing works deliberating the nature of human beings. As times progressed to the age of Enlightenment the different ideas surfaced changing the way humans thought of themselves. Philosophers of the time believed in the essential goodness of human nature, this was based on