Enlightenment+Scholars+of+the+Colonial+Period

(1588-1679)  ||   Locke (1632-1704)  ||   Rousseau (1712-1778)  ||   Condillac (1714-1780)  || 2. Natural Rights must be secured. || 1. Governments must be responsive and aligned with the general will. 2. People make a nation, not institutions. 3. Individual wills are subordinate to the general (collective) will. || Had more of an impact on French government; ideals most closely aligned with John Locke’s ideals… ||
 * ||  Hobbes
 * State of Nature || The state of nature is a state of war. No morality exists. Everyone lives in constant fear. Because of this fear, no one is really free, but, since even the “weakest” could kill the “strongest” men ARE equal. || Men exist in the state of nature in perfect in perfect freedom to do what they want. The state of nature is not necessarily good or bad. It is chaotic. So, men do give it up to secure the advantages of civilized society. || Men in a state of nature are free and equal. In a state of nature, men are “Nobel Savages.” Civilization is what corrupted him. || Belief heavily based Locke’s belief of ‘empiricism,’ but extremely simplified: man exists in a perpetual state of sensation development. ‘Attention’ is an exclusive sensation (‘memory’ and ‘comparison’ are extensions of the initial sensation of ‘attention.’) ||
 * Purpose of Government || To impose law and order to prevent the state of war. || To secure natural rights, namely man’s property and liberty. || To bring people into harmony. To unite them under the “General Will.” || Governing an economy requires a comprehensive genius who knows everything, who weighs everything, and who directs all the resources of government in perfect harmony. It would be difficult, or rather impossible to find such a genius. The best intentioned and most skillful statesmen have made mistakes through ignorance or through over hasty action, for it is difficult to see all and bring all together without sometimes falling into error. . . statesmen never do more harm than when they wish to interfere in everything. It is wisest to confine oneself to preventing abuses and otherwise to pursue a policy of laissez-faire. (Condillac, //Cours d’études, // 20:488) ||
 * Representation || Governments are designed to control, not necessarily represent. || Representation ensures that governments are responsive to the people. Representation is a safeguard against oppression. || <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Representation is not enough. Citizens cannot delegate their civic duties. They must be actively involved. Rousseau favors a more direct democracy to enact the general will. ||^  ||
 * Impact on Founders || <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Governments must be designed to protect the people from themselves. || <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">1. Governments must be designed to protect the people from the government.

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