The Enlightenment Philosophers Essay Example

Five million and seven-hundred forty thousand deaths (“Covid-19 Death Data…”) were caused by the most unprecedented event of the twenty-first century. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caught the globe off guard and left many governments scrambling to find an answer. The pandemic caused the Minnesotan government to make complex decisions on public safety. The Enlightenment Philosophers would have agreed with the state government’s handling of the pandemic because it protected its citizens' natural right to life and promoted civic virtue.

The Enlightenment Philosophers would have agreed with the Minnesotan government’s handling of the pandemic because it protected its citizens' right to live. During an email interview, Patty Acomb—Minnesota State Representative of 44B— stated, “When I think about what values I considered [when dealing with the pandemic], I would have to say I prioritized the desire to keep people healthy and safe” (Acomb). Many members of the Minnesotan House of Representatives shared this profound perspective. It indicates that the government had citizens’ lives as the top priority when deciding how to distribute vaccines. Furthermore, the Pfizer vaccine had 91.3% efficacy against COVID-19 (Katella). This impressive efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine is what the Minnesotan government had considered when they initiated multiple programs to make vaccines more available to citizens. As said in this excerpt from the Minnesotan government website, “Minnesota's COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program brings easy, free, and safe vaccine opportunities to familiar community settings” (“Covid-19 Community Vaccination…”). Enlightenment Philosopher John Locke developed the “Natural Rights Philosophy”. The basic premise was that all humans were born with three unalienable natural rights regardless of class. They were the right to life, liberty, and property. Locke stated that these rights were insecure in a “state of nature” which was a theoretical setting with no government, and he used this to prove that a government was crucial for society to function. Locke would have strongly agreed with the vaccine programs because they protected one of the most fundamental natural rights, life. Without life, it was incomprehensible to have life or liberty. If a citizen had refused to get vaccinated, it would have jeopardized other citizens’ right to life. The government’s obligation was that its citizens’ rights were secure, and the only way to ensure this was through the vaccine.

The Enlightenment Philosophers would have also agreed with the Minnesotan government’s handling of the pandemic because it fostered civic virtue. Moreover, the state government had made comprehensive efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, primarily through mask mandates. There were state-wide mask mandates at many junctures throughout the pandemic (Birnstengel and Yang). Baron de Montesquieu was a French social commentator, political thinker, and philosopher. His ideology was that every citizen was an active participant in society with a significant effect on the common good. He believed in classical republicanism philosophies, where a citizen’s only role was to facilitate the common good and omit selfish interests. When citizens put on a mask during the pandemic, they left behind their comfort and personal opinions to promote the common good. During an interview, Senator Tina Smith stated, “I am committed to supporting states in their efforts to mitigate the impact of this virus as a community” (Smith). Montesquieu would have acquiesced with this because it was a clear example of civic virtue where one had put aside their interests for the common good of those around them, particularly their peers' health. 

Some citizens argued that the Enlightenment Philosophers would have disagreed with the state government’s handling of the pandemic because the quarantine restrictions infringed on their civil liberties. The website of the Minnesotan state government states, “Stay home and quarantine for at least 5 full days” (“Close Contacts…”). During the pandemic, the Minnesotan government had numerous quarantine restrictions for those in close contact with COVID-19. These r estrictions were usually unrelenting with tight enforcement of them. Individual freedoms were crucial for society to function, and these quarantine rules inhibited them. Voltaire was a French historian, writer, and widely celebrated philosopher. As said by Voltaire, “So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men” (“Voltaire Quotes”). Some might have said that this quote perfectly captures the essence of what the United States government was doing by forcing citizens to quarantine. The government forced them into metaphorical “shackles” and acted like a “tyrant”. Those citizens argued that the quarantine restrictions were illegal because they did not consent. They said their civil rights as an individual were blocked by the policies.

The quarantine restrictions made by the state government did not deny any citizen’s civil rights because of the social contract between the government and the people.  As said by Houston Methodist, “The goal of self-quarantine is to prevent inadvertently spreading the virus to others by taking the safety measures needed to determine whether or not you're infected” (McCallum). The purpose of the quarantine was not to take away citizens’ rights but rather to protect their peers' health, which was the right to life. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe and the French Revolution. It affected the maturation of modern political, economic, and educational thought. He also developed the revolutionary social contract, an agreement between members of society and the government for societal benefits. When a United States citizen consented to the government—both state or federal—they agreed to a social contract. That social contract was a consensus between the people and the government, and it is the foundation of our society. In this contract, all citizens agreed to give up their absolute autonomy to do anything, and in return, the government protected their other natural rights. Citizens had to give up part of their liberty and go into quarantine, and in exchange, the state government protected their other rights.

In conclusion, the state government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic would have been met by approval from the Enlightenment Philosophers because it protected its citizens’ natural right to life and cultivated civic virtue. Unfortunately, the past years have been problematic for society. The Minnesotan state government responded and served its citizens as best as possible, which the Enlightenment Philosophers would have wholeheartedly endorsed.