Enlightenment
Courtney Lombardo, Fangjia Li
The Four Major Ideas
John Locke's theory of knowledge also greatly affected 18th century intellectuals. In his essay Concerning Human Understanding , Locke argued that every person was born with a tabula rasa, or a blank mind.
Montesquieu tried to use the scientific method to find he natural laws that govern the social and political relationships of human being. He believed that England's government had here branches: the executive( the monarch ), the legislative( parliament), And the judicial(the courts of the law). He's analysis of the system of checks and balances through separation of powers was his most lasting contribution to political thought.
Voltaire was well known for his criticism of Christianity and his strong belief in religious toleration. He fought against religious intolerance in France. In 1763, he penned his Treatise on toleration, in which he reminded governments that " all men are brothers under God".