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Thomas Hobbes
"Without governments to keep order, Hobbes said, there would be 'war of every man against every man.'In this state of nature, as
Hobbes called it, life would be “solitary, poor, nasty,
brutish, and short'" (Black and Beck 551).
Thomas Hobbes argued that people are naturally cruel and evil, so they need a government to keep them in order. This is not helpful people because Thomas Hobbes doesn't think that the people should have the power. -
John Locke
"As reasonable beings, they had the natural ability to govern their
own affairs and to look after the welfare of society" (Black and Beck 551).
John Locke believed the opposite of Thomas Hobbes. He believed that humans were responsible enough to be able to govern and take care of themselves, without always needing someone to tell them what to do. This is helpful for the people because it gives them more power. -
Mary Astell
"She wrote, 'If absolute sovereignty be not necessary in a state, how comes it to be so in a family? . . . If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?'" (Black and Beck 555).
Astell believes that since a monarch is not needed in a government, why should there be one in families. She wants for women to be equal to men. This is helpful for the people because it promotes equal power. -
Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet)
"Voltaire never stopped fighting for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech" (Black and Beck 553).
Voltaire believed in all kinds of freedom for the people. Mainly, he believed that they should be able to choose whatever religion that they want. He also believed people should be able to express their opinions whenever they want. This helps the common people by giving them more freedom. -
Montesquieu
"Montesquieu believed that Britain was the best-governed country of his own day. Here was a government, he thought, in which power was balanced among three groups of officials" (Black and Beck 553). Montesquieu believed that the government should be separated into three different groups, each with an equal amount of power. This benefited the people because then there is a much smaller chance that the government will take power away from the people. -
Jean Jaques Rousseau
"Rousseau believed that the only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society" (Black and Beck 554).
Rousseau was a firm believer that all of the power should be with the people. He thinks that whatever the society decides as a whole would be what is best for everyone. Obviously, this helped all people by giving them more power. -
Cesare Bonesana Beccaria
"He believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes" (Black and Beck 554).
Beccaria believed in social order, which can include living in a world where you can trust people. He also did not believe in punishing criminals, including physical torture. This benefits because Beccaria is trying to help people feel more safe at home. -
Mary Wollstonecraft
"She argued that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful" (Black and Beck 555).
Wollstonecraft was a strong supporter of women being treated equally to men. She thought that even though women are usually mothers or nurses, things like education could still help them to be better at what they do. This is great for the people because it is helping women get more rights.
