French and English Enlightenment
The evolution of thoughts by the intellectuals in France and England ultimately influenced the politics of each nation. The ways in which this transpired, however, are fundamentally distinctive to each country.
The main similarity between the French society and the English society is that they both underwent extensive philosophical and scientific development and gained an unprecedented amount of knowledge by way of research and exchange of ideas, with a group called the philosophes serving as the main driving force.
The core difference between the two societies is that they developed in radically different ways. The distinction can be explained by the fact that France’s rapid intellectual movement stemmed from …show more content…
The Baconian method, or the scientific method, was established and popularized by the works of Francis Bacon, and is still used and taught widely today. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote Leviathan, developed the social contract theory, believed that absolute monarchy was necessary to maintain order and to prevent people from entering a Social Contract, and that people in the state of nature are selfish and cruel. John Locke (1632-1704) wrote Two Treatises of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. His ideas on natural rights were used by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Locke, along with many other Enlightenment thinkers greatly influenced leaders of the American Revolution, such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
As can be inferred, most of the leaders of the Enlightenment were French, and the English provided the philosophical inspiration for the movement.
Despite their many differences, England and France’s contributions are crucial to human knowledge, reason, and thought- both political and religious. Without one nation, the other would not have reached its potential, nor would have the rest of the Western world. Each new method of thought, approach to religion or logic, and political idea, whether minor or substantial played a part in the movement that influenced the entire
The evolution of thoughts by the intellectuals in France and England ultimately influenced the politics of each nation. The ways in which this transpired, however, are fundamentally distinctive to each country.
The main similarity between the French society and the English society is that they both underwent extensive philosophical and scientific development and gained an unprecedented amount of knowledge by way of research and exchange of ideas, with a group called the philosophes serving as the main driving force.
The core difference between the two societies is that they developed in radically different ways. The distinction can be explained by the fact that France’s rapid intellectual movement stemmed from …show more content…
The Baconian method, or the scientific method, was established and popularized by the works of Francis Bacon, and is still used and taught widely today. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote Leviathan, developed the social contract theory, believed that absolute monarchy was necessary to maintain order and to prevent people from entering a Social Contract, and that people in the state of nature are selfish and cruel. John Locke (1632-1704) wrote Two Treatises of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. His ideas on natural rights were used by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Locke, along with many other Enlightenment thinkers greatly influenced leaders of the American Revolution, such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
As can be inferred, most of the leaders of the Enlightenment were French, and the English provided the philosophical inspiration for the movement.
Despite their many differences, England and France’s contributions are crucial to human knowledge, reason, and thought- both political and religious. Without one nation, the other would not have reached its potential, nor would have the rest of the Western world. Each new method of thought, approach to religion or logic, and political idea, whether minor or substantial played a part in the movement that influenced the entire