Hume and Montesquieu
David Hume and Baron de Montesquieu were two of the Enlightenment Era's most famed philosophers. These two men had remarkably innovative ideas regarding the subject of commerce, which were very similar in many ways, yet different in others.
Renowned philosopher David Hume's Political Discourses essays presented an argument against the mercantilist theory, which insisted on retaining money only in one's own country (Penelhaum, 1995). Hume's gold-flow theory argued that increased money in one country automatically circulates to other countries.
For example, according to Hume, if England receives an influx of new money, the new money will increase the prices of labor and domestic products in England. As a result, foreign country will offer cheaper products than England, which will then import these products, resulting in the circulation of money to other countries.
Hume asserted that the same thing occurs if a country loses money. If England loses money by purchasing imports from foreign countries, this act will drive down the prices of labor and domestic products. As a result, England's products will be cheaper than foreign products, and the country will gain money through exports.
Hume believed that a country's happiness and military strength are both dependent upon strong industry. In peaceful time, a strong workforce can produce luxuries and improve the arts. This increases the country's happiness. In time of war, a strong workforce can serve in the military.
Hume also claimed that foreign trade both increases happiness and strengthens the military. Foreign trade familiarizes people with the pleasures of foreign luxuries, raising the quality of life within a country. Foreign trade also increases industry, which strengthens the labor pool for possible military strength.
Hume was against the mercantilist theory because of its fear that national wealth is hurt when foreign neighbors prosper. Hume felt this was morally and politically inaccurate. According to Hume, a country will prosper only when its neighboring countries do well, also. He claimed that this was because a nation's...
Enlightenment worldview is the root of the "liberal social order," and is predicated on the belief in "the natural unfolding of human progress," (Kagan, 2012). Preceded by a Church-dominated orthodoxy, the Enlightenment directly threatened the political power of the Church, the main cause of rising fundamentalism in the defense of orthodoxy. However, the relationship between religion and the Enlightenment was not one of direct contract and opposition to create two
Enlightenment and Scientific Method Robert Hollinger, in his essay "What is the Enlightenment?," notes the centrality of science to the "Enlightenment project," as he defines it, offering as one of the four basic tenets that constitute the "basic ideas of the Enlightenment" the view that "only a society based on science and universal values is truly free and rational: only its inhabitants can be happy." (Smith 1998, p. 71). As Smith
As far as the philosophy of Montesquieu, it is crucial to note that the principle of the checks and balances of the governmental branches was also included in the Constitution. The Framers also adopted Rousseau's idea that the power of the social contract is directly derived from the people. This is best illustrated by the introduction of the Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form
Enlightenment is the term given to a historical era in the eighteenth century, roughly, that falls between the Scientific Revolution and the American and French Revolutions. As befits an epoch that followed the Scientific Revolution, the chief hallmark of the Enlightenment was a faith in reason and rationality -- the basic notion was that the scientific progress achieved by Sir Isaac Newton meant that the human mind might be capable
Enlightenment In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a scientific revolution occurred which gave humankind a much better understanding of the universe and its functioning than ever before. One of those scientists was Isaac Newton, who, in addition to his work with gravitational laws, also developed principles of light and refraction. From this revolution in science came an intellectual and cultural movement who's name came from a metaphor based in
Interestingly, it his Siddhartha's desire to leave the Brahmin world that starts his quest, and a Brahmin word that starts him on the path to completion. Siddhartha has come full circle to find his path to enlightenment. This moment of revelation is followed by one of horror brought on by total and complete self-awareness, and the Siddhartha passes out. He awakes from a deep sleep, "and it seemed to him
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now