Enlightenment Thinkers Chart

Summary of Each Enlightenment Writer

Thomas Hobbes: He thought that people were bad, evil and selfish. They need to be governed by a strict government IF they weren't under control of the government, they would fight and rob each other. This type of government is called absolute monarchy.

John Locke: He believes in the three major rights, separation of power, and the tabula rasa. He believes that people are born with equal rights, everybody was born the same. No one is different from other.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: He was an enlightenment writer. He writes about political philosophy and social contract theory. He believes that “Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains”

He was a French political analyst. He lived during the age of enlightenment. He is best known for his thoughts on the separation of powers, he believes that power needs to be split among each individual to create a good system of government.

Voltaire is a French enlightenment Write. He was born on November 21, 1694. He goes against the idea of catholic church. He wrote many books attacking the Catholic church. He was famous for philosophy, history, and writing.

Denis Diderot:

He invented the “Encyclopedia” that has 28 volume. The encyclopedia allows people to gain access to information. The encyclopedia contains every information you need. His encyclopedia influences many people.

Mary Wollstonecraft:

She was an English writer and philosopher.She believes that women deserved same rights as men because women can be as better as men can be.  She writes about a vindication of rights of women. She declared that both women and men were human beings and have the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,