Question

Which enlightenment thinkers ideas seem especially compatible with representative democracy

Answer 1

Democracy is the form of government familiar to most Westerners. In a democracy, all eligible citizens participate in the development of laws and the administration of the government. They do this either directly or by electing representatives. Democracy has been largely influenced by theories from the Enlightenment -- the cultural and intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries. Begun in Europe and later developing in the American colonies, the Enlightenment's purpose was to challenge traditional ideas based in faith and to advance society using scientific and philosophical knowledge.

Answer 2

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

The enlightenment thinkers' ideas that seemed especially compatible with representative democracy were the following.

First, the idea of natural rights. Those universal and inalienable rights that humans have. Another important idea was the will of the people, the right of the people to elect their representatives. Another one was the definite separation of the church from the state. Finally, a very important idea that influenced many countries was the separation of powers.

Great Enlightenment thinkers such as Jean-Jaques Rosseau, Baron of Montesquiou, Jhon Locke, and Thomas Hobbes, created great ideas that years later influenced important independence movements such as the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution.