Absolutism: Locke, Voltaire, And Wollstonecraft

Absolutism was a big part of Europe for a long period of time and so was enlightenment but that does not mean that they got along. Some philosophers like Hobbes were for absolutism and thought that is the best government for the people, but others thought the opposite and were against it. Locke, Voltaire, and Wollstonecraft were some of the philosophers that rejected the concept of absolutism and went against the absolute monarchs and their policies.
Thomas Hobbes believed in absolutism, he thought that people are naturally cruel, greedy and selfish, but John Locke was against absolutism, he believe in equality, freedom and natural rights for all men (Esler 545). Both men were 17th century english thinkers that gave ideas that became key to enlightenment but they had very different ideas on human nature and the government (Esler 545) this shows that it is not obvious that all …show more content…
Wollstonecraft wanted to change that so women would have equal rights as men and be able to study and learn history, geography and rhetoric which can teach them to think for themselves and make rational decisions, in addition to that she thought women should be able to have a lawyer, sign a contract, inherit property, vote, or even have rights over their children (Mary Wollstonecraft- Equal Rights for Women). Wollstonecraft dared to do what no other women had done before, she pursued a career as a full time professional writer (Mary Wollstonecraft- Equal Rights for Women) and wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women where she argued for equal education for girls and boys because only education, she said, could help women participate equally with men in public life (Esler 547). Wollstonecraft went against the absolute monarch, Louis XVI but because the timing was leading and during the French Revolution the king didn’t pay much attention to