Enlightenment Guided Reading Questions

What does laissez-faire mean, and who explained it in The Wealth of Nations?

Adam Smith explained laissez-faire in The Wealth of Nations. It is the doctrine that the state should not regulate the economy.

Which three philosophes were most important in the first half of the eighteenth century?

Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Diderot dominated the intellectual landscape of the Enlightenment.

How does Rousseau's The Social Contract describe liberty?

The Social Contract argues that liberty is achieved when an entire society agrees to be governed by the general will; people are "forced to be free."

What two reasons did Mary Wollstonecraft present for giving women equal rights?

Wollstonecraft argued that men's arbitrary power over women was wrong and that women, as human beings who had reason, deserved equal rights.

How did Locke's and Newton's ideas influence Enlightenment intellectuals?

Locke's idea of a tabula rasa and Newton's emphasis on natural law led thinkers to focus on creating a better, even ideal, society.

According to The Wealth of Nations, what were the three main functions of government?

To protect society from invasion (army); to defend citizens from injustice (police); and to perform public works (roads, canals, and bridges).