Document Based Question on Enlightenment

Essay by isszieHigh School, 10th gradeA, January 2004

download word file, 1 pages 4.0


Enlightenment has affected the social systems in the branches of justice, modern education, and reference. In the year 1764 the Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria wrote a book called On Crime and Punishments. He questioned the idea of the death penalty in people's minds as if to ask, it is really necessary? John Locke and Jean Rousseau discuss how enlightenment affects modern education. The ideas spread to the minds of children leading to a brighter generation. French philosophers used Enlightenment. The philosopher Voltaire used treatise on tolerance based on religion and war to show Enlightenment to. The original reference of the Encyclopedia, written in 1772, provided the middle class with the information of the new era leading to the spread of new thoughts everywhere.

This piece of marvelous information provided politicians with the right things to do. One of the political changes it made was to the Russian empire. Empress Catherine II of Russia, was an "Enlightened Despot", meaning she followed the government way of Enlightenment.

Enlightenment was not only taken in a positive way but was also taken in any abusive way, since people misunderstand the positive factors of Enlightenment and misinterpreted against it. One misinterpretation of Enlightenment were two 20th century Historians which violated it by stating that the "light" did not light up all of the world or even all the western world.

In conclusion, the ideas of Enlightenment took a positive part in everyone's lives. This enabled to people to have a better thought process today, which is used wisely in most circumstances.