Newton+and+Locke-Enlightenment

Roxana Shahryari **In what ways did Enlightenment thinkers build on or make use of the ideas of Newton and Locke?** **How they made use of the ideas of Locke:** **Beliefs:** Against absolutism Believed humans lived in state of freedom Believed humans had natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Tabula Rasa (blank mind) People were molded by their environment Wanted limited government power **Writings:** //Essay Concerning Human Understanding// //Letters Concerning Toleration// //The Second Treatise of Government// **How they made use of the ideas of Newton:** **Life’s work:** Invented calculus Law of universal gravitation Composition of light //Principia// Three laws of motion **Beliefs:** God was everywhere, then later dropped spiritual assumptions Matter was composed of atoms The universe was a giant machine in which time, space, and matter were objective realities that existed independently of those observing them.
 * Thesis idea:** The ideas of John Locke and Isaac Newton came into play during the Enlightenment by making use of works such as Locke’s Tabula Rasa and Newton’s Principia.

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