OBJECTIVE:   You will learn about the Enlightenment and about the philosophers of the Enlightenment.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

•             1) What did Enlightenment thinkers believe about power and influence?

•             2) Who was one of the primary thinkers of the Enlightenment?

•             3) How did Enlightenment thinking encourage revolutionary actions?

DISCUSSION

Read the quotes below.  When do you think they were written?

"[We have learned from] history we have reason to conclude that all peaceful beginnings of government have been laid in the consent of the people."

"The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only have the law of nature for his rule."

The human condition tends to move toward order, or at least, an attempt at order.  All things involve trade-offs, however.  Should people be ruled by others or rule themselves?  With the Enlightenment, came a new way of thinking about the individual and government.  John Locke, a prominent Enlightenment thinker, argued against rule by a Monarch (King or Queen).  At the time, ideas like this were quite radical.  Changing the way people think about who has the right to hold power and influence often exacts a high price, generally the currency of blood.  Locke's ideas of liberty would, in fact, require the sacrifices of revolutionaries to sustain them in the end.

Assignment 1.01 - The Enlightenment

1. Read this article about John Locke - http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4n.htm

In a Word document, write a one paragraph reaction to this reading (at least 7 well written sentences).  Be sure to refer to the reading as part of your reaction and include your own personal beliefs regarding individual liberty and the tensions that exist in any society when individuals or groups are attempting to gain power and influence. 

2. Go to the assignment area and click on assignment 1.01 copy and paste the text from your Word document in the Comments area.  Click "submit"
3. Go to the Discussion Board and complete the 1.01 John Locke Response