Chapter 2-The Enlightenment Quiz- Chapter 2

Thomas Hobbes

• People needed to hand over their rights to a strong ruler to escape the state of nature, a war of all against all.
• Called the agreement by which people created a government a "social contract".

The Enlightenment

• Stressed reason as the key to solving problems.
• Social critics in France were known as "philosophes".
• Philosophes believed that truths about the natural world and human societies could be discovered through reason and logical thinking.

John Locke

• Believed that all people are born with natural rights, including life, liberty, and property.
• Thought the purpose of government was to protect these natural rights.
• Argued that government's power comes from the consent of the people, influencing modern democracy.

Montesquieu

• Believed that England was the best-governed and most politically balanced country of his day.
• Proposed the idea of separation of powers to keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government.
• Wrote "The Spirit of Laws", which became the basis for the United States Constitution.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Believed that the only good form of government was direct democracy.
• Thought that people were inherently good, but were corrupted by society.
• Believed that girls should be educated in domestic skills and morality.

Cesare Beccaria

• Believed that the purpose of laws was to punish criminals, not to inflict suffering.

Mary Wollstonecraft

• Published the essay "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792.
• Argued that women's education should focus on reason, morality, and independence.

Other Enlightenment Thinkers

• Voltaire, Denis Diderot, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were among the philosophes who popularized new theories.
• Adam Smith's theory emphasized the "invisible hand" of the market, which self-regulates and promotes economic efficiency.

Impact of the Enlightenment

• People began to question openly their religious beliefs and the teachings of the church.
• Caused people to think more critically about the role of the individual in society.
• God became seen as a benevolent creator, rather than a fearful authority figure, as a result of the work of Isaac Newton.

Test your knowledge of the Enlightenment and its impact on society with this quiz. Explore the key ideas, thinkers, and events of this intellectual movement that emphasized reason and challenged traditional beliefs about government, religion, economics, and education.