"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 study of the intellectual movement that led to a new worldview in Europe during the 18th century.
Philosophy of Enlightenment: The philosophical movement that emerged in the 18th century and emphasized reason, rationality, and individual rights.
Enlightenment Thinkers: The prominent philosophers and writers who contributed to the Age of Enlightenment. Examples include Immanuel Kant, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire.
Enlightenment Ideas: The key principles and concepts that emerged during the Enlightenment, including the importance of reason, progress, individualism, and liberty.
Enlightenment Literature: The literary works that reflect the principles and ideas of the Enlightenment, including essays, novels, and treatises.
The Scientific Revolution: The period of significant scientific discoveries and advancements that occurred before and during the Enlightenment.
Enlightenment Art: The art that emerged during the Enlightenment, which was characterized by rationality, simplicity, and classical influences.
The French Revolution: The major social and political upheaval that occurred in France in the late 18th century, which was partially inspired by Enlightenment ideas.
Enlightenment Economics: The economic theories and policies that emerged during the Enlightenment, including free market capitalism and the concept of laissez-faire.
Enlightenment Science: The scientific theories and discoveries that emerged during the Enlightenment, including the work of Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal.
Enlightenment Politics: The political theories and movements that emerged during the Enlightenment, including democracy, republicanism, and constitutionalism.
Radical Enlightenment: A highly skeptical and secular form of the Enlightenment that championed egalitarianism, democracy, and freedom of thought and expression.
Moderate Enlightenment: A more cautious form of the Enlightenment that emphasized the need for balance and harmony between human reason and traditional values.
Scottish Enlightenment: A distinct form of the Enlightenment characterized by its emphasis on moral philosophy, political economy, and literary culture. Some of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment include David Hume, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson.
French Enlightenment: A rich and diverse cultural movement that arose in France during the 18th century, characterized by its emphasis on critical thinking, empirical evidence, and political progressivism. Some of the leading figures of the French Enlightenment include Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Diderot.
German Enlightenment: A cultural and intellectual movement that arose in Germany during the 18th century, characterized by its emphasis on rationalism, humanism, and religious tolerance. Some of the leading figures of the German Enlightenment include Immanuel Kant, Johann Herder, and Moses Mendelssohn.
American Enlightenment: A distinct form of the Enlightenment that arose in the American colonies during the 18th century, characterized by its emphasis on modern science, human rights, religious tolerance, and popular sovereignty. Some of the leading figures of the American Enlightenment include Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.
Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment was a period marked by significant progress in philosophical thought. It consisted of a wide range of philosophical theories that sought to challenge traditional beliefs and ideas of the time.
Politics: This subfield of study focused on the political structure and the challenges to it, including the dominance of the monarchy and the aristocracy, and the emergence of democratic principles and republicanism.
Science: The Enlightenment period marked considerable progress in science, with scholars focusing on new discoveries, such as the heliocentric theory, calculus, and the laws of motion. The scientific method was also developed during this era.
Religion: This subfield of study examined religious beliefs and practices during the Enlightenment era, including the emergence of new religious ideologies and the challenges posed to traditional faiths.
Social Sciences: This subfield encompassed the study of human behavior and the social structures and dynamics of society, including economics and psychology.
Literature: The Age of Enlightenment witnessed an explosion in literary production, with writers focusing on moral values, social commentary, and political satire.
Education: This subfield examined the development of education systems in the context of the Enlightenment, and the role that education plays in fostering social and individual progress.
Art: Artistic representations during the Age of Enlightenment focused on the principles of reason and rationalism, shaping new movements like Neoclassicism.
Feminism: This subfield focused on women's rights and equality in society, with prominent social thinkers like Mary Wollstonecraft advocating for women's rights and autonomy.
Enlightenment Thought: This subfield explored the ideas, thinkers, and movements that defined the Age of Enlightenment, including the promotion of reason, progress, and individual liberty.
"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."