Comparing The Enlightenment: John Locke, Diderot, And Sir Isaac Newton

Who is responsible for initiating the world changing philosophies of the Enlightenment? Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, so the Enlightenment wasn’t started by just one individual. The key people of the Enlightenment were like a recipe, each idea was an ingredient. Each ingredient used in the recipe came together to form a wonderful tasting cake that we know today as the Enlightenment. Some key thinkers of the Enlightenment were John Locke, Francis Bacon, Denis Diderot, and Sir Isaac Newton. These men gathered information from a multitude of places. These places included elite schools such as Oxford and Cambridge. They found inspiration for ideas among everyday and simple life experiences, as well. Even a stint in jail could not keep their

The dark corners of a jail cell could not stop the illumination of bright ideas coming from the amazingly complex minds of these great thinkers. The enlightenment was an era in time when influential people used clear reasons and thoughts to rid the world of ignorance and superstition. “The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a philosophical movement that took place primarily in Europe and, later, in North America, during the late 17th and early 18th century” (Szalay par 1).

John Locke was a key scientist in The Enlightenment and in the Scientific Revolution. John Locke was born in Wrington, England in 1632. For his education, Locke’s father had many connections with the english government which resulted in Locke having an amazing education. He first went to Westminster, which is in London, England. At Westminster, Locke had the wonderful privilege of receiving the title, “King's Scholar”. Only the best and smartest of the students of each class were entitled to this honor. He

Francis Bacon was a man of many interests and talents. He was an author, an English philosopher, a jurist, a scientist, and a statesman to name a few. Bacon was born in York House, London, England on January 22, 1561. When he was only 12 years old, Bacon was accepted into college at Trinity college which is located in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom. Francis Bacon lived at the college for three years with his older brother named Anthony who was three years older than him. While staying at the college, the soon to be Archbishop of Canterbury, named Dr John Whitgift watched over them. While in Cambridge, Bacon learned from the standard Medieval program. Later Bacon went on to get an education from the University of Poitiers. Francis Bacon’s theories and his way of thinking even influenced Queen Elizabeth’s thoughts when he had the privilege of meeting her. Queen Elizabeth paid close attention to Bacon’s ways of thinking and nicknamed him “the young Lord Keeper” because of his intelligence. Bacon was also the main developer of the Scientific method. Bacon believed that the scientific method was the act of arriving at generalized conclusions based on careful observations. The scientific method was very influential at that time and is still being used in scientific experiments and realizations