"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 philosophical movement that emerged in the 18th century and emphasized reason, rationality, and individual rights.
Reason: The use of reason as the primary means of understanding and discovering knowledge, as well as its significance in the Enlightenment movement.
Science and empiricism: The emphasis on observation and experimentation in the natural sciences as a means of acquiring knowledge, and its influence on Enlightenment philosophy.
Skepticism: The critical examination of beliefs and assumptions, and the rejection of dogmatism and authoritarianism.
Individualism: The belief in the inherent worth and dignity of individuals, and the desire for personal autonomy and freedom.
Humanism: The focus on human potential and the importance of human values, and the rejection of supernatural explanations for human behavior.
Progress: The belief in the power of human reason to improve society, and the idea that human progress is inevitable and unstoppable.
Liberalism: The political philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty and equality, and the role of government in protecting and promoting these values.
Democracy: The belief in popular sovereignty and the power of the people to govern themselves, and the influence of democratic ideals on Enlightenment philosophy.
Social contract theory: The idea that individuals voluntarily agree to form a government and abide by its laws, and the importance of this concept in the development of modern political theory.
Metaphysics and epistemology: The study of the nature of reality and knowledge, and its relevance to Enlightenment thought and philosophy.
Ethics: The study of moral values and principles, and their connection to the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and rationality.
Religion and secularism: The debate over the role of religion in society, and the rise of secularism and the separation of church and state.
Freedom of speech and expression: The importance of the right to express oneself freely, and its impact on Enlightenment philosophy and political thought.
Enlightenment figures and ideas: The major philosophers and thinkers of the Enlightenment, including John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and others, and their contributions to the movement.
Rationalism: The belief that knowledge can be obtained through reason alone, independent of experience or intuition.
Empiricism: The belief that knowledge can be obtained through sensory experience and empirical observation.
Skepticism: The philosophical approach that doubting or withholding judgment on certain things for which evidence is lacking or contradictory is an essential tool for critical thinking.
Idealism: The belief that the universe is ultimately mental or spiritual in nature, and that material objects are mere illusions or projections of the mind.
Utilitarianism: The moral theory that the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness, welfare, or well-being of the greatest number of people.
Deism: The belief that a supreme being created the universe but does not intervene in its affairs or the personal lives of individuals.
Materialism: The belief that everything in the universe, including human consciousness and mental phenomena, can ultimately be explained in terms of material or physical substances.
Naturalism: The belief that the natural world is all there is, and that supernatural or divine explanations are unnecessary or incorrect.
Humanism: The belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, and the importance of reason, ethics, and social justice in human affairs.
"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."