I have recently become increasingly interested in the philosophy from the Enlightenment period and how it relates to today’s understanding of freedom, human rights and responsibility in a western society. Can anyone recommend some books that give a good overview of some of the prominent thinkers of the time, such as Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau, preferably with parallels drawn to today’s understanding of society? This is a hobby, so I would prefer not to read all the original texts.
My aim is to understand how democracy and the notion of freedom was formed during the Enlightenment, to better understand these ideas today, where we essentially take them for granted in the western societies.