Tovi+J+and+Erica

Sir Isaac Newton   By: Erica Harris

Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists ever and his discoveries laid the way for Enlightenment. "Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is truth"(Isaac Newton). He was a mathematician and a physicist who was very talented in his field. Many philosphes used his ideas for their application to the singular concept of Nature and Natural Law. Newton’s Laws of Motion bécame one of the thoughts that helped the Enlightenment ideaology along. John Locke and Volataire used the Natural Law concept in the political system advocating intrinsic rights. Many other philosophers used his concepts in their economic system ideas and even some religious views of nature. Buta ll in all Isaac Newton was a brilliant guy who had many people impressed with what he knew and what he discovered. He was one of the main scientists that the philosophers from the Enlightenement era used when they were going on about their views. “Newton, Isaac (1642-1727)”. //Wolfram Research.// Web. 05 Aug 2009. []

John Locke by Tovi Johnson John Locke, a philosopher in the late 17th-early 18th century, had many influential ideas about the purpose and form of government and people. Chapter 18 and 19 of the __Second Treatise of Government__ state “…the nature of illegitimate civil governments. It specifies three forms of such illegitimacy: 1. An unjust foreign conquest, 2. Internal usurpation of political rule, and 3. Tyrannical extension of power by those who were originally legitimately in power… gives the conditions under which legitimate revolution may occur.” He describes an illegitimate government to be power hungry and fight for land for nothing other than greed. The compilation of people within the government that overuse their power is another sure sign of a failing government. The last rule he states says that anyone fit to play a role in government should over anyone who is placed into office because of status. Those are the examples of bad governments and he provided reasons to rebel against them, this is seen throughout the history of governments and revolution. The Revolutionary War was fought against the British who were using their rule as a reason to expand taxation and power of the Americans, which is against the third rule of John Locke’s __Second Treatise of Government__. In his time and into the future these and other of Locke’s ideas have been taken into consideration around the world and have written statements quoting his works in important political documents. His work has directly and indirectly helped shape many governments.

John Locke. 2 Sep 2001. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 7 Aug 2009. 