"The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that occurred in Europe, especially Western Europe, in the 17th and 18th centuries, with global influences and effects."
The era in the 18th century characterized by the dominant intellectual movement of the time which emphasized reason, science, individualism, and free will.
The Age of Enlightenment: A period in European history stretching from the late 17th to the late 18th century characterized by a new emphasis on reason, empirical evidence, and the scientific method.
The social contract theory: A philosophical concept that argues that a just society depends on a social contract which outlines the obligations and duties of both the governed and the government.
The French Revolution: A political and social upheaval that occurred in France between 1789 and 1799, characterized by radical social and political changes, including the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a democratic republic.
The American Revolution: A political upheaval in the Thirteen Colonies which led to the establishment of the United States of America as a sovereign nation, characterized by a new emphasis on democracy and individual liberty.
The Declaration of Independence: A document drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, which declared the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain and established a government based on natural law and popular sovereignty.
Natural law: A philosophical concept which argues that there is an inherent morality that governs the universe and human affairs, and which is discoverable through reason and observation.
Human rights: A set of universal principles that protect the dignity and well-being of all human beings, including the right to freedom of speech, religion, and association, the right to fair and equal treatment under the law, and the right to life, liberty, and security.
Civil society: The realm of associations and organizations that exist outside the government and the market, including non-profit organizations, religious institutions, and community groups.
Liberalism: A political philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty, freedom of choice, and limited government.
Democracy: A system of government where power is held by the people, either directly or through elected representatives.
Political Enlightenment: Refers to the belief that political order and civil society should be guided by reason, rather than traditions or religious systems.
Scientific Enlightenment: Refers to the rise of modern science and empiricism, as well as the belief that the natural world operates on rational, observable principles of cause and effect.
Cultural Enlightenment: Refers to the development of arts, literature, and culture in Europe during the 18th century, with an emphasis on individualism, creativity, and the pursuit of rational knowledge.
Economic Enlightenment: Refers to the growth of capitalism and the belief that economic systems should be based on free trade, merit-based competition, and innovation.
Religious Enlightenment: Refers to various developments within religious traditions which aim to reconcile faith and reason, such as deism, natural theology, and other attempts to find a rational basis for belief in God.
Humanitarian Enlightenment: Refers to the emphasis on universal human rights, civic equality, and the abolition of slavery, torture, and other forms of inhuman treatment.
Philosophical Enlightenment: Refers to the wider philosophical movement of the 18th century which sought to challenge traditional systems of thought, especially in regard to metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology.
Feminist Enlightenment: Refers to a strand of thought that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries which sought to challenge traditional gender roles and promote the equality of men and women.
"The Enlightenment included a range of ideas centered on the value of human happiness, the pursuit of knowledge obtained by means of reason and the evidence of the senses, and ideals such as natural law, liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state."
"A variety of 19th-century movements, including liberalism, socialism, and neoclassicism, trace their intellectual heritage to the Enlightenment."
"The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Catholic Church and paved the way for the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries."
"Philosophers and scientists of the period widely circulated their ideas through meetings at scientific academies, Masonic lodges, literary salons, coffeehouses, and in printed books, journals, and pamphlets."
"The Enlightenment was preceded by the Scientific Revolution and the work of Francis Bacon and John Locke, among others."
"European historians traditionally date its beginning with the death of Louis XIV of France in 1715 and its end with the 1789 outbreak of the French Revolution."
"Many historians now date the end of the Enlightenment as the start of the 19th century, with the latest proposed year being the death of Immanuel Kant in 1804."
"The central doctrines of the Enlightenment were individual liberty and religious tolerance, in opposition to an absolute monarchy and the fixed dogmas of the Church."
"The concepts of utility and sociability were also crucial in the dissemination of information that would better society as a whole."
"The Enlightenment was marked by an increasing awareness of the relationship between the mind and the everyday media of the world."
"The Enlightenment was marked by an emphasis on the scientific method and reductionism, along with increased questioning of religious orthodoxy."
"Some date the beginning of the Enlightenment to the publication of René Descartes' Discourse on the Method in 1637, featuring his famous dictum, Cogito, ergo sum ('I think, therefore I am')."
"Others cite the publication of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica (1687) as the culmination of the Scientific Revolution and the beginning of the Enlightenment."
"An attitude captured by Kant's essay Answering the Question: What is Enlightenment, where the phrase Sapere aude (Dare to know) can be found."
"The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Catholic Church and paved the way for the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries."
"Ideals such as natural law, liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state."
"The concepts of utility and sociability were also crucial in the dissemination of information that would better society as a whole."
"Philosophers and scientists of the period widely circulated their ideas through meetings at scientific academies, Masonic lodges, literary salons, coffeehouses, and in printed books, journals, and pamphlets."
"A variety of 19th-century movements, including liberalism, socialism, and neoclassicism, trace their intellectual heritage to the Enlightenment."