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Thomas Hobbes
"Because people acted in their own self-interest, Hobbes said, the ruler needed total power to keep citizens under control," (Black and Beck 551). Hobbes believed people needed an absolute monarchy to control them from doing what they want. People acted evil and elf-centered if there was no one to have absolute power over them. -
John Locke
"He believed that people could learn from experience and improve themselves. As reasonable beings, they had the natural ability to govern their own affairs and to look after the welfare of society," (Black and Beck 551). Locke thought that people could govern themselves because they could improve as human beings. After making mistakes he believed that over time people became better and could look after themselves. -
Mary Astell
"In later writings, she used Enlightenment arguments about government to criticize the unequal relationship between men and women in marriage," (Black and Beck 555). In the world at this time women and men were created unequal. She thought they were born the same way so they should be created equal. She brought up why are the men born free but women are born slaves+ She worked to get equal rights for women. -
François Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
"Although he made powerful enemies, Voltaire never stopped fighting for tolerance,reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech," (Black and Beck 553). Voltaire thought people had rights because they were people and he fought for his beliefs even though he made many enemies. He thought people should be able to voice their opinions, be able to believe in what ever religion you wanted to, have your own reasoning, and tolerance for everything. -
Baron de Montesquieu
"Montesquieu called this division of power among different branches separation of powers,"(Black and Beck 553). Montesquieu thought that government should be separated so no part of the government could get too much power. The different parts of the government check each other to make sure no one has too much power. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau
"Rousseau believed that the only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society—a direct democracy," (Black and Beck 554). He believed in what the United States has, a democracy, where the people can control who is in office. Instead of having a ruler who says the ruler until he has no power, the people have a choice about their government. -
Cesare Bonesana Beccaria
"He believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes," (Black and Beck 554). He thought laws was to have order in the people and not to create more crimes than already committed. Laws were not to commit more crimes or to do unfair things after the crime was committed. -
Mary Wollstonecraft
"Rather, she argued that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful. Even if they are to be mothers, education will make them better mothers," (Black and Beck 555). She fought for women to get educations because no matter what they would do it would help them be better at it. Schooling would make women more useful int he world they were living in.
