"A Time of Change - David Hume"
...mises. Hume argued that we are born into our family with the knowledge passed on to us, from this point Hume says that government is only an interference in the lives of people. He uses the example of American Tribes where no one needs a government to keep peace within the group (Pomerleau 222). These are the two main points that Hume tried to make. They are the basis of what got people to think about their lives and decide that what they have now might not be the best thing that their life can accomplish. From his points of view, we can move on to another influential philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau. Jean Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. His first years in his life were very hard because his mother died shortly after birth and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, his life turned around and he married and began his life as a philosopher. Rousseau was involved with the social contract like Hume. His book, however, did not become popular until after the French Revolution because these were the conditions that the revolution was based on (Chambers 669). His ideal government would contain a small state, prevention of overpowering businesses, and equality in rank and fortune (Castell 419). He distrusted the aristocrats because he believed they were drawing away from traditions that were once held very high ("The Enlightenment," http). To him kings are just concerned with themselves and when one dies, another one is needed. None of these people ever take in to consideration the less fortunate. Everyone has to move to the beliefs of one man. Rousseau felt that the government should be in the hands of many, not just one. Ideally, everyone in a society needs to be in agreement with one another. Another belief that Rousseau represented was deism, which is that god created the universe and then allowed it to run according to natural law and not interfering with it anymore. Again, these questions began to be disputed and the people began to realize that their lives could mean more than just what the higher officials might say. They began to think about what life and the world is really about. This brings us to the next philosopher, Immanuel Kant. Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724. Kant studied both Hume and Rousseau and rethought his aspects of science and shifted a little towards philosophy. In addition to his thinking, he also spent a lot of time lecturing at Konigsberg, Martin Knutzen. His two main scientific questions dealt with how far can the scientific method be applied to everything and how to explain scientific knowledge. He realizes that both of these cause the mind to start with some given information and an answer is then given for humans to understand (Stumpf 302). Kant was firm in his belief on a priori knowledge, which is the knowledge that is prior to experiences, but he also states that not everything can be based on experiences since we cannot experience everything. From these beliefs, he also believed in two realities, phenomenal and noumena. Phenomena, derived from a Greek word meaning "that which appears," (Castell 599) is the world as we experience it and noumena is intelligible or nonsensual reality. In the world we only experience phenomena because noumena is present but it is external from us and only appears as it is organized by us (Stumpf 312). From a social standpoint, Kant believed that as long as a man could support himself and owned property he should be qualified as a citizen. He states that if everyone is required to pay for public welfare then everyone should have his or her freedom guaranteed. If this if present then there is no need for a rebellion, which will lead to a stronger government. Kant feels that this is hard to obtain because people need a political balance but at the same time they need to be able to keep their freedom. A type of freedom that he feels should be held by all is the freedom that everyone is punished the same and the death penalty should only be carried out only when an individual is proven guilty (Stumpf 316). Kant believed in God because he felt that if one would deny all existence that did not support any logic, then nothing at all would exist to anyone. He also states that "it is morally necessary to assume the existence of God." (Stumpf 319) From this he also realizes that one does not necessarily need to believe in God, but one needs to respect the beliefs "for duty's sake." When thinking about God, according to Kant, it is an experience that we can not experience. Kant takes us to the last of the four major philosophers on the enlightenment period, Francois...