During the Enlightenment, views of people and society shifted significantly from the prior era. Some philosophers, like Hobbes, viewed humans as inherently selfish, while others like Locke saw people as generally good. Enlightenment thinkers also advocated for more individual rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech and religion, as well as separation of church and state. Children and women began to be seen in a new light as deserving of rights and respect rather than as property. Overall, Enlightenment philosophy elevated the status of the individual and promoted more liberal and secular views of government and society.

1. People and Society
New views on people and life
during the Enlightenment

2. Views on people and society before the
Enlightenment
• Most leaders were absolute monarchs - kings who held
all the power - had little respect for the average person.
• Religious leaders told people that the purpose of this life
was to do good deeds in order to get to heaven. Many
aspects of life had religious ties.
• The average person had no say in government or the
creation of laws.
• Only wealthy men had access to a good education.
• Children were viewed as small adults.
• Women were seen as inferior to men.

3. Thomas Hobbes
• Thomas Hobbes was an
Enlightenment thinker who
had a very negative view of
humanity.
• He thought humans were
basically beasts and needed
to be controlled by a strong
government.
• Hobbes believed if man was
left to his own devices he
would kill, steal, and destroy
civilization.

4. John Locke
• John Locke had a very
different view of humans.
He thought people were
generally good and
deserved to have more
rights and freedoms.
• Locke believed
everybody deserved to
have their natural rights
- life, liberty, and property
- protected.

5. Jean - Jacques Rosseau
• Rousseau believed that
people weren't born good or
bad, but who we become
was determined by society.
• Rousseau also advocated
that children be loved and
cared for and that every
male regardless of social
status have the opportunity
to get an education.

6. Denis Diderot
• Diderot believed that man
could be shaped and molded
by his surroundings.
• He believed the church and
state should be separated.
• Diderot spent much of his
life putting together the
Encyclopedie - an
encyclopedia of the various
ideas and information from
other Enlightenment
thinkers.

7. Voltaire
• Voltaire believed that people
should have freedom of
speech and that they should
be allowed to criticize
religion and
government/leaders without
being punished.
• Voltaire also believed that
people should be tolerant of
others' beliefs even if they
disagreed with them, and no
one should be punished for
their beliefs.

8. Key Points
• Enlightenment thinkers had a lot of ideas that were different from
the thoughts of the Middle Ages.
• Some thinkers had a positive view of mankind while others had a
negative view.
• New ideas about children and education emerged.
• Diderot and Voltaire as well as other Enlightenment thinkers
believed that church and state/government should be separated.
They believed that government should be secular - having no
religious affiliations/connections.
• Many Enlightenment thinkers believed the common person
should have more rights and freedoms.
• More focus on the individual person rather than society as a
whole.