| The
Enlightenment |
| "Making
a science of government." |
| Influenced by
the scientific revolution, where scientists found universal laws that explained
their world; philosophers began to look for laws that could be applied
to human behavior and government. Scholars began applying reason and the
scientific method to all aspects of society - government, religion, economics,
and education. No longer content with Kings and Absolute Monarchs, enlightenment thinkers tried to come up with the best government possible. Englishman John Locke was one of the most influential of these thinkers. He proposed a positive view of human nature, he felt men were reasonable beings and had a natural ability to rule themselves. According to Locke, nobody needed a king around to tell them what to do, people could govern themselves. Locke had a very modern view of human nature. He felt that all people are born free and equal. Locke proposed that people had three natural rights - life, liberty, and property. (Sound familiar? Think about the US constitution and the ideas of Americas' founding fathers). And furthermore Locke said the purpose of government was to protect these natural rights. This was really different from the concept of absolutism, where one person ruled over all others. Locke even went so far as to say that if a government fails to protect these natural rights, then citizens have a right to overthrow the government! Radical ideas indeed. Locke is pretty much encouraging revolution here. Locke's ideas deeply affected modern political thinking. His idea that a government's power should come from the people is the foundation of modern democracy. And his ideas about people having the right to rebel against unjust rulers helped to inspire revolutions in Europe and the America's. Locke was English, but the hotbed of enlightenment activity was in Paris, where philosophers would meet in salons (no, not hair salons - these salons were usually the living rooms of wealthy Parisian women) to discuss their ideas. One of these Parisian philosophers, Baron de Montesquieu, liked the way the English government was set up. England had a king and ministers who carried out laws - a Parliament that made laws - and a court system that interpreted the laws. Montesquieu called this division of powers among different branches separation of powers. He wrote that in an effective government power should be used to keep other power in check. Sound familiar? It should. These ideas would later be called "checks and balances", and would become the basis for the US constitution. Jean Jacques Rousseau was another of these French philosophers. He 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. The only way a government could be legitimate was if it came from the consent of the people who were governed. Rousseau also argued that all people were equal and that titles of nobility should be abolished. His ideas influenced the leaders of the French Revolution who lashed out against the king and the nobles. An Italian philosopher named Cesare Bonesana applied enlightenment thinking to the justice system. He rallied against common abuses of justice; things like the torture of suspects, unfair trials and cruel and unjust punishment. He said that trials should be speedy and the degree of punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime. He also believed that capital punishment should be abolished. As you can see, enlightenment thinkers laid the foundation for our modern views of government. Inspired by the scientific revolution, they created a bridge from selfish, greedy kings and absolute monarchs - to governments that focused on the needs and rights of the people. As we will see next, these revolutionary ideas about government led to big things - revolutions! |