What Are The Four Main Ideas Of The Enlightenment

There were many great philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment that brought amazing ideas to help our modern government. There were many great thinkers but, we learned about four that brought ideas that were different, but had something similar that brought everything together.
During the Enlightenment era, these philosophers had important ideas that all shared one thing in common. All these ideas were all made to make society better for everyone.Philosophers were trying to make life easier.During the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason our four philosophers brought ideas to four topics. Which were Government, Religion, Economic, and Equality of Women. These were all based on freedom and these philosophers were trying to make society better.

John Locke strongly believed in freedom of government for all. Locke states that “When the government is dissolved, the people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new legislative for the society can never lose the native and original right it has to preserve itself….. They have not only a right to get out of a failed government, but to prevent it.”(P.13) This quote states that Locke firmly believed that people had the right to three things which were life, liberty, and the right to own property.We all should have the right to

life which means we should all be equal and liberty is used like government which means that we should be protected by our government. We should all have the right to own property which means we have the right to a house and etc.

Adam Smith believed in an unregulated capitalist market like a supply and demand type of thing.

Adam Smith states that “As every individual, therefore, endeavours as much as he can both to employ his capital in the support of industry and so to direct that industry that its produce may be of the greatest value: every individual necessarily [contributes to] the annual revenue of the society as great as he can.” This explains the “Invisible Hand” which stated that people act in their own self interest and buy themselves the best which makes them greedy.This statement explains us that by pursuing their own interest that they can increase the public

wealth.

Mary Wollstonecraft believed that women and men should be all treated equally with the same education as well. Mary Wollstonecraft comments “ To render[make] mankind more virtuous, and happier of course, both sexes must act from the same principle;... women must be allowed to found their virtue on knowledge, which is scarcely possible unless they be educated by the same pursuits [studies] as men.” Mary Wollstonecraft believes that women are capable in doing anything a man could do. She believes in the rights of women that allows them to have the same benefits and education.

Voltaire believed that everyone should have the freedom to any religion that they wanted. Voltaire comments “If one religion were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary[unrestrained]; if there were but two, the people would cut one another’s throats; but as there are such a multitude, they all live happy and in peace.” Voltaire explains that with freedom with religion there would be no violence since everyone would have different views. With one religion people would be mad since there would be no control to choose and with two religions there would be blood and violence due to the fact of that those two religions would have different views on ways of life.

Overall the importance of these four philosophies has greatly influenced our modern society. These four philosophers main goal was to make society better for everyone. They all invented these to protects the people's natural rights.