Enlightenment
By: Will Switzer and Rohan Patel
Major ideas of Enlightenment
The major ideas of the Enlightenment Era was to centralize government, abolish serfdom, give people more freedom, and to have all religions treated equal. Main contributors to the European Enlightenment during the 17th and 18th century include Descartes, Locke, and Newton.
John Locke
Born in 1632 and a graduate of Oxford university John Locke had a big impact on the European Enlightenment. His biggest contribution was his thoughts on pre destination and equality. John Locke believed that everyone was born equal and they were not pre destined to a good or a bad life but your actions made that decision for you. John Locke is most known for his 3 main things everyone should have a right too liberty, life, power. Lockes theory about equal freedom was so popular America stole it and based there bill of rights and other important documents around it.
Science in the 18th century
Science in the 18th century was mainly dominated by astronomy not a lot of inventions came out of the Enlightment era and 18th century. One invention that had a big impact in the 18th century was Robert Boyles air pump people found it so interesting even king Louis XV got a private show of it. In the astronomy department telescopes were refined and with a greater zoom while star maps were made. The main thing that happened in the enlightenment science era was the popularity of science while everyone was confused in the different thoughts on religion and government people turned to science for answers.