"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 key principles and concepts that emerged during the Enlightenment, including the importance of reason, progress, individualism, and liberty.
The Scientific Revolution: The Scientific Revolution was a period of great intellectual and scientific advancement in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. It laid the foundations for Enlightenment thought by demonstrating the power of reason and empirical inquiry.
Rationalism: Rationalism is the belief that reason is the ultimate source of knowledge and that knowledge can be obtained through logical deduction rather than empirical observation.
Empiricism: Empiricism is the belief that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience and observation rather than through innate ideas or spiritual revelation.
Natural Law: Natural law is the concept that there are universal laws that govern human behavior and are discoverable through reason and observation.
Social Contract Theory: Social contract theory is the belief that political authority derives from an implicit agreement among individuals to give up certain rights and freedoms in exchange for protection and security provided by the government.
Separation of Powers: Separation of powers is the idea that government should be divided into different branches, each with its own specific powers and responsibilities, to prevent the concentration of too much power in one person or group.
Religious Tolerance: Religious tolerance is the belief that individuals should be allowed to practice and express their faith freely without fear of persecution or discrimination.
Freedom of Speech: Freedom of speech is the right to express oneself without fear of censorship, restraint, or retaliation.
Individualism: Individualism is the belief in the importance of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the ability of individuals to make their own choices and decisions.
Secularism: Secularism is the belief that religious influence should be removed from government and public life.
Progressivism: Progressivism is the belief in the ability of society to continually improve through scientific and social advancement.
Democracy: Democracy is a political system in which power is held by the people through free and fair elections.
Human Rights: Human Rights are basic rights that every individual is entitled to simply because of their humanity, including the right to life, liberty, and equality before the law.
The “Enlightened Despot”: The concept of an “enlightened despot” refers to an absolute monarch who embraced Enlightenment ideas and reforms, sometimes for the benefit of their own rule rather than for the benefit of the people.
Education and Encyclopedias: Education was seen as a key element in the spread of Enlightenment ideas, and Encyclopedias were an important tool for disseminating knowledge and ideas.
The Salons: The Salons were gathering places for intellectuals and political figures where they could discuss and exchange ideas, often leading to the development and spread of Enlightenment thought.
The Age of Revolution: The Age of Revolution was a period of political upheaval characterized by the overthrow of established authority and the establishment of new forms of government that were influenced by Enlightenment thought.
Deism: Deism is the belief in a higher power, but one that is not actively involved in the world, and that can only be understood through reason.
Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is the belief that the morality of an action is determined by its usefulness or benefit to society as a whole.
The Enclosure Movement: The Enclosure Movement was a series of laws and practices that began in 18th century England that allowed wealthy landowners to consolidate and fence off common lands previously used by poor farmers and villagers. The movement was widely criticized by Enlightenment thinkers for its negative impact on the poor and on social equality.
Rationalism: The belief that reason and logic should be used to solve problems rather than religious or traditional authority.
Empiricism: The belief that knowledge comes from sensory experience rather than innate ideas.
Natural Rights: The belief that all human beings have certain rights that are inherent to them by virtue of their humanity.
Democracy: The idea that people should have a say in their own government, and that power should be distributed fairly among all individuals.
Separation of Powers: The idea that government should be divided into different branches, each with their own specific powers and responsibilities.
Freedom of Speech: The belief that individuals should have the right to express their opinions without fear of persecution or punishment.
Individualism: The belief that individuals are more important than the collective, and that individual freedoms and rights should take priority over the needs of the group.
Secularism: The belief that religion should have no role in government or public policy.
Scientific Revolution: The belief that science and empirical evidence should be used to understand the natural world, rather than superstition or tradition.
Social Contract: The idea that individuals agree to give up certain rights in exchange for protection and security provided by the government.
"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."