Mia Sullivan

Hegerich
03/15/22
Enlightenment DBQ

What is enlightenment? Kant says its “man’s leaving his self caused immaturity”
(Document A). In today's world, “enlightenment should involve a more self-aware, socially
embedded model of autonomy” (Taylor, 2010). The ideas of enlightened philosophes were
revolutionary to their time as they reshaped common thinking about government, justice, and
tolerance, were the first to challenge centuries old ideas, and became fundamentals for new
countries and ever changing governments.

Of the many philosophes of the 18th century, perhaps the most progressive political
thinker was John Locke. He believed the purpose of the government was to enforce the laws
made for the good of the people (Document C). He also stated that “they [the government] must
not raise taxes on the property of the people, without the consent of the people” (Document C).
This idea largely reflects the founding statement of the American Revolution: “No taxation
without representation” (National Constitution Center, 2021) Overall, Locke's influence on his
society and other developing countries and the reach of his ideas was revolutionary.

Caesare Beccaria was an Italian philosopher who challenged the criminal justice system
of the 1700s. He was generally the only philosopher to do so in his time. He questions whether
torture as punishment as well as the death penalty are beneficial to society (Document H). In the
21st century, this thinking about the death penalty is still taboo. According to a 2018 poll by
Gallup, 49% of Americans believe that the death penalty is applied fairly (Gallup, 2018). This
means that about half of the surveyed population thinks that the death penalty is used correctly,
and are in support of it in situations they deem fair. This idea that torture is not a useful method
of punishment can be seen in the 8th amendment of the U.S. constitution, which states that
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual
punishments inflicted” (U.S. Constitution, 1791). To sum up, Beccaria’s ideology was
revolutionary for his time, and some ideas of his remain revolutionary today.

Ideas of tolerance and human rights were also challenged. French philosophe Voltaire
said that intolerance brings death and destruction, and that tolerance has “never brought civil
war” (Document D). Philosophies like Voltaire’s changed the way societies ran, often
challenging class systems and dismantling hierarchies. This helped to build the foundation of the
French Revolution, which overthrew unjust monarchs in France. However, the most
revolutionary thinker in this area was Mary Wollstonecraft. No other woman was challenging
patriarchal values and writing about them in her time. She denounces the objectification of
women and encourages education, emphasizing that they are not dumb, just without the proper
resources. In Document F, an excerpt from “Vindication of the Rights of Women'', she points out
that women have always been in bondage to men due to the fact that their value belonged to their
husbands and their “inferiority in muscular strength” (Document F). These ideas reflect ideology
that allowed women to gain voting rights in the U.S.

Overall, philosophes of the 18th century forever changed the ideology of the modern
world. Many of its revolutionary ideas have progressed into even more radical change in modern
society. Government, tolerance, and justice have all undergone changes and evolved into a much
closer reality to what thinkers like Voltaire, Locke, Wollstonecraft, Beccaria, and Kant imagined.

Works Cited

“21st Century Enlightenment . . . in Education.” User Generated Education, 23 Aug. 2010,

usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/21st-century-enlightenment-in-educati

on/#:~:text=The 21st-century enlightenment should,foundation for universalism is

empathy.

“On This Day: ‘No Taxation without Representation!".” National Constitution Center –

Constitutioncenter.org, constitutioncenter.org/blog/no-taxation-without-representation.

“Public Opinion.” Death Penalty Information Center, 25 Nov. 2019,

deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/public-opinion-polls.