How Did The Enlightenment Dbq

The Enlightenment period started in the 17th century and lasted until the 18th century. This was also known as the Age of Reason. This was a time where people such as philosophers and thinkers were looking for a way to improve the world. They thought the key to understanding the truth was careful observation and clear-headed reasoning. Once Isaac Newton noticed patterns in the natural universe, the philosophers started to believe in Natural Laws. They then started looking into areas such as government, the economy, religion, and the social role of women with scientific scrutiny. One person to write on government and freedom was John Locke. Doc A. HE believed that the only limit to to a man’s freedom was nature. If it couldn’t naturally happen, …show more content…
Just like Voltaire and Locke, he too wanted wanted freedom, but this time economic freedom. Smith says it’s like ‘an invisible hand’, or a profit motive, which ‘promotes that of society’. According to Smith, Voltaire, and Locke freedoms such as economical (big or small), government, and religious freedoms will make for the best society. The last Philosopher was a woman. She points out the social role of women. She argues that women are inferior, but if they were to be educated they would be “...free, and they will quickly become wise and virtuous. Doc D. The only thing holding them back from being equal members of society are the fact that they are uneducated. Education would free them from their “ignorance and low desires” and would “render mankind more virtuous”. Doc D. The recurring thing in all these writings is freedom. They want freedom for something in their own ways; whether the areas are government, religion, economic, or the social role of women. These thinkers urge greatly for freedom for everyone. This movement spread throughout Europe and the New World. Their ideas have caused changed the world as we know it. When anyone tries to form a new society, these ideals are still part of the main

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