The Enlightenment Quiz

Which book by the baron de Montesquieu is considered the first major work in the French Enlightenment?

"The Persian Letters"

Voltaire saw Confucianism as

a natural religion.

Rousseau's concept of the general will asserts that

the general will is not necessarily the will of the majority.

How did Enlightenment thinkers differ from those of the Middle Ages and Renaissance?

Enlightenment thinkers believed that their era had surpassed antiquity, which demonstrated the possibility of human progress.

In general, what was Voltaire's attitude toward government?

He believed that a good monarch was the best one could hope for in government.

In his "Essay Concerning Human Understanding", John Locke claimed that

human development is determined by education and society.

What was John Locke's argument in "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" that provided a basis for sensationalism?

Locke believed that all knowledge and ideas were formed from experience, and that humans were born with a blank slate: 'tabula rasa'

Why did Montesquieu write "The Spirit of Laws", and what points did he make?

Montesquieu wrote "The Spirit of Laws" because he was unhappy with royal absolutism and wanted to demonstrate the problems of government. He argued for separation of powers and a strong, independent upper class.

How did Jean-Jacques Rousseau differ from most of the other philosophes?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau differed because he was passionately committed to individual freedom and disliked the concept of civilization.

What was the core concept of the Enlightenment?

The methods of natural science should be used to examine all aspects of life.