The Enlightenment, an era of knowledge and new ideas, was a period of time where philosophes made many advancements.The Age of Reason (another name for the Enlightenment period) took place during the 17th and 18th century. Philosophers were hopeful to make advancements and better understand society. The main idea of the Enlightenment was to make discoveries on natural and individual rights. The main idea of philosophes was greater individual freedom. Philosophes were able to expand on the idea of individual freedom by John Locke's, Voltaire's, Adam Smith's, and Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas. This idea was a key part of their thinking in three areas: government control, religion, and equality.
Individual freedom was an important part of Locke's ideas on government. Locke believed "people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new legislative" and "men are naturally in... a state of perfect freedom to order their actions." Freedom was the man idea of Locke's thoughts about government because "the state of mankind is not so miserable that they are not capable of using this remedy, … they have not only a right to get out of [a failed government], but to prevent it." By …show more content…
Wollstonecraft discusses the importance of individual freedom as it regards one the social role of women when she writes "reason and experience convince me that the only method of leading women to fulfill their peculiar duties is to free them from all restraint by allowing them to participate in the inherent rights of mankind." This means that once women are no longer under the social standards and has an equal opportunity to an education as men, then they will finally be freed from "all restraints." It can be argued that individual freedom was the main idea in Wollstonecraft's discussion of women because she believed women should be allowed an education, not only men; she argued for equality between men and
Individual freedom was an important part of Locke's ideas on government. Locke believed "people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new legislative" and "men are naturally in... a state of perfect freedom to order their actions." Freedom was the man idea of Locke's thoughts about government because "the state of mankind is not so miserable that they are not capable of using this remedy, … they have not only a right to get out of [a failed government], but to prevent it." By …show more content…
Wollstonecraft discusses the importance of individual freedom as it regards one the social role of women when she writes "reason and experience convince me that the only method of leading women to fulfill their peculiar duties is to free them from all restraint by allowing them to participate in the inherent rights of mankind." This means that once women are no longer under the social standards and has an equal opportunity to an education as men, then they will finally be freed from "all restraints." It can be argued that individual freedom was the main idea in Wollstonecraft's discussion of women because she believed women should be allowed an education, not only men; she argued for equality between men and