... of scorn. Scholars in many countries found it increasingly difficult to bridge the gulf between natural and supernatural, to reconcile natural law and divine providence, and to balance moral philosophy and spiritual virtue. Revealed religion was under siege, and the answer seemed to be to reject the new modernity or to reject traditional dogmas that relied on non-scientific ... passions through an understanding of how individuals and societies work. Diderot was a prolific writer who wrote on just about every topic and in just about every format. He wrote on philosophy, science, music, a...

• Word Count: 2122
• Approx Pages: 8

... accountable for their actions by any earthly authority such as a parliament. Originating in Europe, the divine-right theory can be traced to the medieval conception of God's award of temporal power to the political ruler. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher and for many years a tutor in ... . Though Hobbes favored a monarchy as the most efficient form of sovereignty, his theory could apply equally well to king or parliament. His political philosophy led to investigations by other political theorists, e.g., Locke, Spinoza, and Rousseau, who formulated their own radically different the...

• Word Count: 912
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate