The Influence of Beccaria and Voltaire

Today in society, concepts are hardly ever in their original form. It is extremely rare for anything to be in prototype form. Most ideas are based upon prior thoughts and beliefs. Even documents that our society is based upon have been derived from the philosophies of former innovative thinkers. Through their own new and radical philosophies, philosophers such as Beccaria and Voltaire from the Enlightenment period influenced society's and government's future ideas and principles. By writing numerous books and essays, these philosophers were able to become the foundation of many important freedoms and principles.
Cesare Beccaria is most well known for his essay On Crimes and Punishments. Within this essay, Beccaria explained his philosophy of the need to punish. This philosophy impacted our society, specifically in The Bill of Rights. Beccaria has also been recognized for his views upon the death penalty. This influenced the movement to abolish the death penalty.
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