Friday, January 1, 2016

Philosophers During the Enlightenment Period



John Locke
1632–1704

 Place of Birth: Somerset, England

 Biography: John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, Somerset, England, went to Westminster school and then Christ Church, University of Oxford. At Oxford he studied medicine, which would play a central role in his life. He became a highly influential philosopher, writing about such topics as political philosophy, epistemology, and education. Locke's writings helped found modern Western philosophy.

 Ideas: His Ideas include that we acquire ideas through our experience of the world.

 Legacy: In his famous Two Treatises of Government in 1690, he championed the idea of a representative government that would best serve all constituents.


Rene Descartes
1596- 1650

Place of Birth: Descartes, Indre-et-Loire, France

Biography: René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern philosophy, much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day 

Ideas: Descartes did not believe that the information we receive through our senses is necessarily accurate. 

Legacy: René Descartes is often credited with being the “Father of Modern Philosophy.” This title is justified due both to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy prevalent at his time and to his development and promotion of the new, mechanistic sciences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/René_Descartes


Voltaire
1694-1778

Place of Birth: Paris, France

Biography: The most celebrated of the philosophers was Voltaire. He wrote poetry, plays, essays and books in an entertaining style and often satirical. His most celebrated satire was Candide. In his youth Voltaire twice served time in the Bastille, the prison in Paris. His works that mocked the church and the  Royal Court of France placed him in prison. He was again put into prison when he was accused of insulting a nobleman. Voltaire was given a choice between further imprisonment and exile in France he chose the latter. When Voltaire moved to England, he felt free. His 3 years in England was spent writing books promoting Bacon’s philosophy and the science of newton.

 Ideas: He is well known for the statement ”I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.” 

Legacy: Voltiare’s main contribution to the Enlightenment was freedom of speech, press and religion and opposition to monarchy, militarism and slavery. He was very pessimistic of human nature. He didn’t want to create a perfect world. He just wanted everyone to know that it could be a better place if we substituted ignorance and superstition for knowledge and rational thought.
https://francois-marie-arouet-voltaire.wikispaces.com
www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_voltaire.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire
 Charles Montesquieu
1689- 1755

 Place of Birth: La Brède, France

Biography: Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French lawyer, man of letters, and political philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. Through his education and travels he became a sharp social commentator and political thinker who gained the respect of his fellow philosophers with his masterwork The Spirit of Laws, which went on to have a major influence on English and American government.

Ideas:The government should be the one to protect the freedom of the people

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1712- 1778

 Place of Birth: Geneva, Switzerland

Biography: He was a philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the overall development of modern political and educational thought.

Ideas: Original man, in his natural state, is entirely free and virtuous.

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