Chapter 24 - Chapter 24 The Promise of Reason In 1680 a...

Chapter 24: The Promise of Reason
In 1680, a comet was seen and Edmund Haley , an English astronomer, observed the
comet, calculated its orbit and predicted its future appearances.
Enlightenment – period between 1687 (date of Newton’s Principia) and 1789 (beginning
of the French Revolution). It was a time of preoccupation with the comprehension of
human nature in scientific terms.
During the 18
th
century, the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, economics and
political science) were formed. There was also a redefinition of the role of the
government and the rights of citizens.
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke – English philosophers who looked into the question of
human rights vs. sovereignty of the ruler. They advanced the idea of a social contract in
different ways.
-Hobbes thought that the social contract was a covenant among individuals who
willingly surrendered a portion of their freedom to a governing authority or ruler.
Hobbes thought that humans were selfish, greedy, and war-like. He thought that
government under one ruler or ruling assembly was society’s only hope for peace
and security. Hobbes wrote Leviathan , a treatise about his beliefs. He named it
after a mythological marine creature in the Bible. He called the ruler of the
government the Leviathan.
-Locke thought that power must remain with the ruled (the people). He thought
humans were equal, free, and capable of defining the common good. Locke
thought that people had the right to life, liberty, and estate. He also thought
people may willingly consent to give up some of their liberty in return for the
ruler’s protection, but people should never give up their ultimate authority.