3. The Enlightenment, the seed of contemporary political thought Criticism of the Old Regime The Enlightenment emerged in the 18th centur y. This intellectual movement questioned the principles of the Old Regime. Some defining features of Enlightenment thought were: The predominance of reason over customs and superstition . This meant that all things had to be based on a reasonable explanation . Enlightenment thinkers rejected the privileges of the nobility and the clergy, the rules of guilds and absolutism. Tolerance towards dif ferent ideas as the basis of coexistence. The defence of the natural rights of individuals, such as individual liberty, which the state could not arbitrarily suppress. Education as a means to spread reason , and knowledge. The experimental sciences acquired great importance because they were seen as a way for humanity to progress. Enlightenment ideas spread throughout Europe and America , through salons, academies, (7) and the press. The Encyclopaedia also had a vital role in spreading ideas. This work was published in France and edited by Denis Diderot and Jean d 'Alembert. The Enlightenment thinkers proposed the fundamental ideas of contemporar y political thinking: John Locke (1632 – 1704), author of A Letter Concerning Toleration He was a forerunner of the Enlightenment. He criticised absolutism, arguing that the state was the result of a social contract between the government and the people. This contract could be broken if the government was unjust. Montesquieu (1689 – 1755), author of The Spirit of Laws To avoid the abuse of power, he proposed, for the first time, the separation of the three powers of the state: legislative power should be held by a representative Parliament, executive power by the monarch, and judicial power by independent judges. Voltaire (1694 – 1778), author of Treatise on Tolerance He strongly rejected fanaticism and intolerance. He defended freedom of expression and a monarchy in which civil liberties were respected. (8) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778), author of The Social Contract He defended freedom and equality for all people. He believed that society corrupted human beings, who are naturally good. He maintained that sovereignty resides in the people, and the people must reach an agreement to allow a higher power to govern in their name. 7. Royal Academy of Arts, London. Academies boosted the sciences and arts in the 18th century. 8. Voltaire 18
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