1. Key Thinkers of the Enlightenment
Rousseau Locke Smith
Hobbs Voltaire Montesquieu

2. Thomas Hobbs

3. Thomas Hobbs Believed:
People were naturally selfish and greedy
To avoid chaos people must give up their natural rights (freedom) to a powerful government that will ensure order
Only a powerful government with complete control over the people could suppress rebellion and ensure orderly society

4. John Locke

5. John Locke Believed: People were generally good and moral
Felt people had natural rights belonging to them from birth (life, liberty, and freedom)
Government has the responsibility to protect those rights
People have the right to change a government that fails to protect those natural rights

6. Baron de Montesquieu

7. Baron de Montesquieu Believed:
The powers of government should be separated into executive, legislative, and judicial branches
Each branch of government will serve as a check to the other two
Separation of powers is the best way to protect liberty

8. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

9. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Believed:
People are basically good but became corrupted by society
In an ideal society, people would make the laws and obey them willingly
The good of the community as a whole should be placed above individual interests

10. Voltaire

11. Voltaire Believed: People have a natural right to freedom of speech
“I do not agree with a word that you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it”

12. Adam Smith

13. Adam Smith Believed:
Natural forces of supply and demand should be allowed to operate and regulate business
The marketplace was better off without government regulation (Laissez faire)

14. Mary Wollstonecraft

15. Mary Wollstonecraft Believed:
Women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful
Urged women to enter the male-dominated fields of medicine and politics

16. The End