Whereas the Renaissance era was the age in which ideas of science and individualism only began to bud, the Enlightenment era became the cultural movement where reason and reform flourished and blossomed. During the Enlightenment era, societal woes became a concern and philosophers, writers, and intellectuals sprouted across Europe to express their individual opinions on such issues and how to address them.
Philosophers played a large part in building the sense of reason during the Restoration era, and notable players included John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire. John Locke, often known as the “Father of Liberalism”, became known not only for his work during the Enlightenment period but a guide for the many other intellectual thinkers who follow him. His work on Two Treatises of Government became a framework for a theory of civil society and was later used by our Founding Fathers as the structure of American government. Locke highlighted the idea that any government unjust to its people can be overthrown, and a separation of powers in government would also stop man’s natural tendencies to be greedy. His social criticism against the British society of the time inspired other philosophers, including Rousseau. Rousseau, however, disagreed with Locke and stated that man was not greedy, but instead a moral figure. Rousseau insisted that the people should be the one to legislate, and that class distinctions would soon disappear. Voltaire, on the other hand, advocated for radical social reform by criticizing the society’s restrictions on freedom. Voltaire believed in the separation of church and state as well as the freedom of religion. These glaring remarks contrasted against previous sentiments of how churches should be revered.
The Enlightenment era sparked a collection of individuals who fought for the people’s rights and encouraged reform in the relatively unchanged society. Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire, among many others, became the forefront for rights that many countries now protect.
- Freddy Tsao, Andy Kang, David Lee, Michael Amini
This synthesis holds a fantastic quality it that i didnt realize when reading through my group's synthesis. i enjoyed that some points of John Locke were pointed out that my group failed to include even though they did the adequate research. Stating that john lock had two major contributions also seemed to make John Locke pop out in your analysis; this was legendary wait for it dary.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this essay; it was extremely clear and well structured. Opening with John Locke’s ideologies was a strong introduction into the first body paragraph and really caught my attention. I like how it displayed the dispute between the philosophies between Locke and Rousseau. I understand that they view points of these people back then are very similar to philosophies today.
ReplyDeleteRUBRIC: Evidence of Understanding
ReplyDelete3: Focus is always maintained within the paragraph. Insights always drive the paragraph. Connections between the smaller and bigger ideas always drive the paragraph. Substance offered is always deep.
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2: Focus may wander at times. Some insights may not drive the paragraph. Some connections between the smaller and bigger ideas may not drive the paragraph. Some substance offered is not deep.
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1: Focus is entirely lost. Insights do not drive the paragraph at all. Connections between the smaller and bigger ideas do not drive the paragraph at all. Substance offered borders on fluff!
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I give a score of 3 to this answer. We learned a new perspective after reading your answer. The focus is there throughout the essay and your created connection between the details offered about the three great thinkers you mentioned and the larger picture of the Age of Reason (The Enlightenment). Also, your comments reflect depth of thought and understanding about these three great thinkers and their influence on society. It's clear that they really did influence the period in very positive ways and that that influence is evident in our own mentality today. Good job!