The Enlightenment period also referred to as the Age of Reason is used to describe the time in history began with the end of Thirty Years War and to the end of the French Revolution. This period marked a significant radical shift in the government, culture, and politics. The period embraced some philosophies to think as well as explore the world (Best 30).. In global enlightened thinkers were considered to think objectively without prejudice. The period was marked by rationalism, reasoning, and empiricism. The argument was advocated as a means of establishing reliable systems of government, religion, and ethics that would allow human beings obtain the objective truth of the whole reality. According to enlightenment thinkers, reason was the means of freeing humans from both religious and superstitious authoritarianism which was credited for suffering and death for millions of people all over the world. The period was marked by broad knowledge availability that was highlighted by the production of encyclopedias that served to educate people. In the most explicit terms, the Enlightenment period led to enormous consequences even in the modern world where it expresses itself in modern forms namely postmodernism, feminism, and religious conservatism. It gave rise to secular humanism growth, economic liberalism, science development, church decline and progressive belief. On the same note, the political thought during Enlightenment era was developed by John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and played a critical role in creating an intellectual framework for liberalism, democracy, American Revolutionary War and Capitalism but also nationalism, racism, and communism. This paper examines the ideas about the government and society that emerged during enlightenment era and how these ideas are closely linked to ideas that were developed by ancient Greeks up to 1700.
At the beginning of Enlightenment Era in Europe, most countries had already been destroyed by bloody religious wars. This period was therefore fuelled by the ensuing peace that had resulted from the political situations all over Europe after the Peace of Westphalia and English Civil War. The intellectual upheaval hovering around Europe was significant in overturning the accepted political belief which in essence stated that revelation and mysticism were the most primary sources of wisdom and knowledge. This belief blamed for political instability that was witnessed in Europe before this age. Instead, the philosophers during Enlightenment period believed that axiomatic philosophy was the foundation for stability.
Around seventeenth century, some classic political thoughts were primarily born based on Thomas Hobbes ‘ Leviathan as well as John Locke's Two Treatises of Government. These two philosophers were explicitly critical of the divine right and authority of kings. Previously, it was thought that kings derive their right to rule directly from God's will, and therefore any form of temporal power such as subject's will, aristocracy as well as another estate of the realm was insignificant. Any attempt aimed at disposing a king or restricting their powers was viewed as running contrary to God’s will.
Hobbes, in particular, argued that through natural law and the contract is sovereignty transferred to the monarchy and kings. Sovereignty according to him was derived from subjects and not from the divine right (Holt et al. 245).
Locke, on the other hand, proposed a liberal view by marinating that authority has a purpose of protecting human freedom and equality. He considered citizens were agreeing to a social contact which is critical in placing the authority of rulers over them (Locke 163). He also argued that when authority instituted over men ceases to function in protecting them and their welfare, equality and independence, the contract eventuality ceases to exist, and the members of the public have no option but a duty to overthrow the uncaring ruler. Locke's Two treatises that were published immediately after Glorious Revolution is a testament of political fallout from the event. This document has a decisive influence in the beginning and continuity of the French Revolution and the American Independence War. It also had ramifications on the development of democracy, constitutional government and liberalism that arose from this wars. Locke was thus of the view that a social and political contract between rulers and the subjects was to ensure that the government meets certain political needs of the people. Simply, if the current administration was capable of serving the policy and welfare needs, of the citizens it had the support of the citizens. When on the other hand, it stopped fulfilling its part in the contact people were obligated not to support the government and instead should be justified to call for political actions (Locke 173).
Thomas Hobbes’s political philosophy was basically in a scientific thinking approach that always seemed to point towards a popular revolt (Holt et al. 234). Though a mathematician, he took political theory route that led him to a path to advocate for absolute monarchy. He became interested in understanding why people would allow themselves to have a political or religious authority over them while at the same time gaining insight into the best form of government. In his Leviathan famous work, he likened a sea monster such as whale to a powerful commonwealth and state where every citizen is only interested in their affairs. For this reason, he argued that people would thus be ineligible to govern the country unless there was an absolute reliable authority intended to keep a check on everybody. He gave an example of a time in history when men lived without any common form of power put them in awe. This was a condition liken to a way where every man will be against every man. In a state of perpetual war, wrong and right, injustice, and justice virtually have no place. In such as state, there would be no society, no arts or letters and at worse, there was a continual fear and would be characterized by fear of danger of violent death. The life would be nasty, short, poor, solitary and brutish.
When Locke's political philosophy is examined in the light of the Ancient Greek political philosophy as envisioned by Plato in his Ideal State works, one cannot fail to see a sharp contrast to their theories. Plato was of the view that society is only a natural institution since man is essentially a political and social animal. He considered the state as existing only for the sake of its member's good life. However, the difference with Locke's theory is that the right in the society is neither economic well-being nor freedom of the members of the community. For him, the right of the ideal in the society is justice and thus all states and corporations literary conformed to finding justice to its members. This is an ideal society that in the real world is expressed in many forms. For Plato, the state is not mandated to decide what is just or unjust since justice is in itself an object of knowledge as one of its forms. He recommended that statesmen’s be philosophers. Otherwise, the state will move downwards towards a state of self-destruction. Plato viewed Justice as analogous to individuals and thus the structure of the state should be the same as that of a person who have three parts namely soul, body, and spirit.
Plato viewed justice in individuals when they have lower appetites that are mostly subject to reasoning in governance (Barker 34). It is at this point that there is peace in the city states where individuals are self-rule themselves. On the other hand, freedom is described as knowing well how people should do. He views wise people as only those who can control their appetites while controlling their passions for money. As such, justice is a harmony between desires and reason since irrational men will let their anger control them to do what is right. The most important points to note from Plato's discussion is that censorship in educational contexts in the society is necessary as some art such as drama and poetry that paints gods as indulging violates oaths and treaties and are immoral and hence should be censored. In Plato's view, the absolute right to freely express an artistic opinion is absolute nonsense. Education, on the other hand, should be made mandatory for every member of the society especially education that involves morality and philosophy for a continuous conduciveness in the society. On private property, Plato was of the opinion that auxiliaries are not entitled to possessing any private property but are bound to receive their necessities from citizens. This is because, when leaders begin to handle silver and gold, they will start to amassing wealth and soon turn to be tyrants. On children and wives, Plato was argued that there was no essentiality in family life, and thus marriage relations between citizens should be under that care of the state (Barker 45).
The American Revolutionary war that paved the way for the American independence also draws heavily from the Ancient Greek and Enlightenment era views on the government and societies. The American declaration of independence holds certain truths as self-evident namely that men were created equal by a creator who endowed them with inalienable rights such as the right to life, pursuit of happiness and liberty. As such, securing these individual rights require that government is instituted among men with its powers derived from the people from their consent. Its goes on to state that governments become destructive when in essence they alter or abolish the rights of its citizen and thus need to be removed from power (Jefferson, 1776). The foundations of ruling in America have thus anchored principles of prudence so as to ensure that Americans do not suffer from the evils of the state instituted causes. The Americans had the right to dispose of any forms of government that do not reflect their ideals. The American declaration of the state, forbid any attempt by the government to injure the rights of its citizens. This was highly drawn from Plato's idea of an ideal state.
The constitution refused American rulers from assenting to the law that did not reflect the public wholesome good. People were given the right to be included in the decision-making part concerning the American nation (Jefferson, 1776). When people elect their representatives to Parliament, they relinquish their right to them, and thus they become their advocates on matters that regard, the family relations, taxing, human rights and fairness. On the other hand, any form of government that comes up in America and does not reflect the will of the people, it must be disposed of for failing to comply with the contract that binds it for representation. Unless the government undertook to protect the will and the freedoms of the people from its appetites, the citizens would continue to rise in arms until it complied. This was best evidenced in the American era of democracy and civil rights movement where leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. opined that papal remissions ad well as blessing though cannot be regarded does not stop people of good will to be on guard against indulgences of the leaders and the teachers who fail to carry out their duties (Luther 277). . From this discussion, it is clear that the ideas about the government and society that emerged during enlightenment era are closely linked to ideas that were developed by ancient Greeks up to 1700.
Work cited
Barker, Ernest. "Greek political theory: Plato and his predecessors." (1919).
Best, Steven. "Foucault, postmodernism, and social theory." Postmodernism and social inquiry (1994): 25-52.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America." Washington, DC: United States Congress, National Archives and Records Administration. 1776.
Holt, James Clarke, George Garnett, and John Hudson. Magna carta. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Locke, John. "Second Treatise on Civil Government." Sect 159 (1946): 160-220.
Luther, Martin. "Ninety-five theses." 120 banned (2011): 277.
