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Thomas Hobbes
"Without governments to keep order, Hobbes said, there would be 'war of every man against every man.' In this state of nature, as
Hobbes called it, life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short'" (Black and Beck 551). Hobbes says that without order, people would be evil and savage. By giving their rights to a ruler, people could live a less bleak life. It would be helpful for the people because if there is order, people can live more civilized among each other and it would be safer. -
John Locke
"...people are born free and equal, with three natural rights— life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government, said Locke, is to protect these rights" (Black and Beck 551). Locke believed that people are born with three rights, and the government's job is protect these right for everyone. If the government failed to do so, they could be overthrown. This would be helpful because it gave people basic rights that were protected by someone with authority, and became the base of democracy. -
Mary Astell
"Her book addressed the lack of educational opportunities for women. In later writings, she used Enlightenment arguments about government to criticize the unequal relationship between men and women in marriage" (Black and Beck 555). Astell wrote about the lack of equality women endured, especially with education and their rights in marriage. She criticized how men were born free, but women were not. This helped the people by opening the doors to women receiving more rights in the future. -
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 advocated fair rights for the people. He believed that the government needed to be separate from the church, and to allow more religious freedom. This would help the people because it would give them more freedom and society would be more tolerating and accepting of people with different religions. -
Montesquieu
"In his book, Montesquieu proposed that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government" (Black and Beck 253). Montesquieu said that a separation of power in the government would keep any one group from gaining too much power by having each group keep the other two in check. The different branches would have different jobs. This would help the people because it made sure their government wasn't corrupt and they were fair. -
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. Under such a government, people agree to give up some of their freedom in favor of the common good" (Black and Beck 554). He thought that only a government formed by the people themselves could be good. A social contract arose, and this helped the people because they had someone they wanted in office and could remove them if it was broken -
Cesare Bonesana Beccaria
"...Beccaria turned his thoughts to the justice system. He believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes" (Black and Beck 554). Beccaria said that the justice system was unfair and it wasn't doing its job correctly. He believed that suspects and witnesses shouldn't be tortured, and someone accused should get a speedy trial, ensuring they receive justice quickly. This helped the people because those accused of crimes wouldn't be unjustly harmed or wrongly prosecuted. -
Mary Wollstonecraft
"...she disagreed with Rousseau that women’s education should be secondary to men’s. Rather, she argued that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful" (Black and Beck 555). Wollstonecraft argued that women should have the same education as men, even if they are supposed to be merely mothers. She said that education can make them better mothers. This helped the people because it encouraged other people to step up and help women gain rights.
