"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."
This subfield explored the ideas, thinkers, and movements that defined the Age of Enlightenment, including the promotion of reason, progress, and individual liberty.
Historical Context: Understanding the political, social, and cultural conditions in Europe in the 18th century that gave rise to the Enlightenment.
Philosophy: Key figures and ideas of the Enlightenment, including John Locke, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, and Rousseau.
Science: The scientific discoveries, advancements, and new methods that were developed during the Age of Enlightenment.
Religion: The changing role of religion in society during the Enlightenment and the emergence of new religious ideas and movements.
Literature: The influence of the Enlightenment on literature and the rise of new forms of writing, such as the novel and satire.
Art and architecture: The Enlightenment's impact on artistic styles, architectural design, and the emergence of new aesthetic principles.
Economics: The development of modern economic theory, including the ideas of Adam Smith and the rise of capitalism.
Politics: The political movements and ideologies that emerged during the Enlightenment, including liberalism and republicanism.
Education: The Enlightenment's emphasis on education and the emergence of new models of learning and teaching.
Social reform: The Enlightenment's influence on social reform, including the abolition of slavery, prison reform, and the rights of women.
Enlightenment and the colonies: The impact of the Enlightenment on colonialism and imperialism, including the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist movements.
Enlightenment and revolutions: The influence of the Enlightenment on the American and French revolutions and the impact of these revolutions on European society.
Rationalism: The idea that knowledge can be acquired through reason and analysis rather than from traditional authority like religion or ancient texts.
Empiricism: The belief that knowledge comes primarily from observation and experience.
Scientific Method: The process of using observation and experimentation to test hypotheses and theories.
Humanism: A philosophy that places human beings at the center of the universe, emphasizing their ability to use reason and science to improve the world.
Skepticism: The idea that all knowledge claims should be doubted until sufficient evidence supports them.
Deism: The belief that God created the universe but does not intervene in its affairs.
Liberty/Individualism: The belief in personal freedom, including freedom of speech, thought, and religion.
Social Contract: The idea that individuals form societies through an agreement to surrender some personal liberties in exchange for protection and common good.
Secularism: The separation of church and state, with religion being restricted to the private sphere.
Enlightenment Optimism: The belief that humanity is capable of achieving progress and perfectibility through the application of reason and science.
"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."