Enlightenment Essay - 660 Words

If Hobbes, Machiavelli, or Wollstonecraft’s ideas were used to establish a foundation for the Constitution of America instead of Locke’s, we would be living completely different lives and the function of our society would be drastically changed. Thomas Hobbes had a tainted outlook on humans. He thought of people and life very negatively. Machiavelli was very strong and straightforward. He had a harsh attitude and his ideals were firm and he strongly believed in them. Mary Wollstonecraft kept women at a high standard. She believed the only thing restricting her gender from overcoming adversity was their lack of education. These beliefs held high by their owners would substantially change the society in which we live today and in some†¦show more content†¦Imagine what our government and our rights would look like if we lived under this man’s ideal society. We would be controlled and under careful watch at all times. Our rights would be strictly li mited and we would have little or no say at all in how we were governed. Machiavelli did not believe in Democracy. He trusted a government run by a dictator. And the dictator wouldn’t be kind and genuine to his/her people, but they would establish a fear among society. He stated that it is better to be feared than loved. This would create another very harsh lifestyle for a human living under his ideal reign. One would always watch their back in case they did something wrong. One slight mistake might result in your death just to set an example to the other citizens. Having a feared ruler would not establish a peaceful society. But the rights of the people probably wouldn’t change, only their outlook would. Mary Wollstonecraft was a hardcore feminist of her time. She believed that women are not naturally inferior to men, but their lack of education allow people to believe they are inferior. In our society today, women and men are equal. But at the time Mary Wollstonecraft was alive, women didn’t have equal rights to the men. If her philosophies were to have been inserted into the constitution, we would probably be living in a women dominant society. Wollstonecraft probably had hard feelings about how herShow MoreRelatedEnlightenment Essay example532 Words   |  3 PagesEnlightenment Do we at present live in enlightened age? What is enlightenment? Immanuel Kant attempts to clarify the meaning of enlightenment while composing the essay, What is Enlightenment?. The goal of Kants essay was to discuss what the nature of enlightenment was. It also taught one how enlightenment can be brought about in the general public. Kant explains that, enlightenment is mans release from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is mans incompetence to have directionRead More Age of Enlightenment Essay2052 Words   |  9 Pages The 18th century is referred to as the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. The trends in thought and letters from Europe to the American colonies brought a new light and attention upon mankind. This new movement described a time in Western philosophy and cultural life in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority. ‘To understand the natural world and humankinds place in it solely on the basis of reason and without turning to religious belief was the goal of the wide-rangingRead MoreOverview of The Enlightenment Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesThe Enlightenment was a period of history throughout the mid-decades of the seventeenth century and during the course of the eighteenth century, in which intense revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics occurred. This part of history was important because it was an enormous departure from the Middle Ages. Seldom before and after this time, did the Church have as much power as it did during the Enlightenment. There were three main eras of the Enlightenment: The Early EnlightenmentRead MoreEssay on The Enlightenment1351 Words   |  6 PagesThe Enlightenment Throughout Europe and the new American colonies in the 18th century there was a great movement in thought. This trend that preceded the French Revolution is known as the Enlightenment. Revolutionary writers and thinkers thought that the past held only darkness and ignorance, they began to question everything. Enlightened thought entered, or intruded, into all aspects of life in the 1700s. Governments were drastically reformed, art and literature changed in scope, religionRead MoreThe Enlightenment Essay999 Words   |  4 Pagesideas about our universe were not widely accepted, especially from the church. This soon changed due to the hard work and perseverance of several scientists and philosophers who unbeknownst to them brought about an era known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, which eased into existence in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries created a new way of thinking based on rationality. Scholars and intellects were free to debate and have informed discussions about such things as science, religionRead MoreEssay on The Enlightenment1246 Words   |  5 PagesThe history of Western civilization cannot be neatly divided into precise linear sections. Instead, it must be viewed as a series of developing threads that combine, interact, and, at various intervals, take pervasive shifts. The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century was one of these paradigm historical shifts, challenging the traditional notions of authority by investing reason with the power to change the human condition for the better. This ecumenical emphasis on reason and independent thoughtRead More Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment Essay1272 Words   |  6 PagesNeoclassicism and the Enlightenment The Enlightenment was a time of great innovation and evolution. One of the most significant movements which owes at least the majority of its beginnings to the Enlightenment is the architectural and artistic movement of Neoclassicism. This Neoclassicism of the mid eighteenth to mid nineteenth centuries is one that valued ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artistic ideals. These ideals, including order, symmetry, and balance, were considered by manyRead MoreEssay on Enlightenment in Colonial Society1244 Words   |  5 PagesEnlightenment in Colonial Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Enlightenment began in the mid to late 17th century; almost every source gives different dates and doesn’t really specify when exactly it started. It consisted as more of a religious revolution, but it also had to do with the emergence of different specialized professions. A major point of the English Enlightenment was that it did not like the idea of a vengeful God, nor did it like the idea that man could only retain so much knowledge and a certainRead MoreWomen in the Enlightenment Essay1406 Words   |  6 PagesThe Enlightenment is known as the revolution that brought to question the traditional political and social structures. This included the question of the woman’s traditional roles in society. As the public sphere relied more and more and the advances in scientific and educated thinking, women sought to join in with the ranks of their male counterparts. Women held gatherings known as salons where they organized intellectual conversat ions with their distinguished male guests. Seeking to furtherRead More enlightenment revolution Essay709 Words   |  3 Pagessp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Reasoning Revolution nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The age of enlightenment took place in the 18th century and was thought by many of the period to be long overdue. Spurred by writers wishing to â€Å"awaken† the public from their stupor, it was an age of change. Enlightenment writers tackled subjects from inconsistencies in religion to the oppression of women in society. Utilized during the time were many aspects of writing