"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 focuses on the intellectual and cultural movement of the 18th century that sought to apply reason and science to all areas of human life.
The Age of Reason: A historical period in the 18th century that emphasized reason, logic, and scientific thinking.
Political Philosophy: A branch of philosophy focused on the study of government, power, and justice.
Social Contract Theory: A political theory that suggests that individuals give up some of their individual rights in exchange for protection and security from the government.
Natural Rights: The concept that individuals have inherent and inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and property.
Separation of Powers: The idea that government power should be divided among different branches to ensure checks and balances.
Constitutionalism: The belief that a government should be governed by a written constitution that outlines the limits of power and the rights of citizens.
Mercantilism: An economic system based on the idea of accumulating wealth through trade and protectionism.
Scientific Revolution: A period in the 17th century when the scientific method became prominent and the study of natural sciences gained greater importance.
Industrial Revolution: A period of technological advancement and economic growth in the 18th and 19th centuries, characterized by the rise of factories and urbanization.
Enlightenment Thinkers: A group of influential thinkers, including Voltaire, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who championed reason, individualism, and liberty.
Deism: A religious philosophy that believes in the existence of a supreme being who created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs.
Feminism: A social and political movement that advocates for the rights and equality of women.
Colonialism: The practice of acquiring and maintaining colonies for economic or political gain.
Slavery: The practice of owning and exploiting human beings for labor, which was widespread during the Enlightenment era and eventually abolished in the 19th century.
Enlightenment Ideas Today: The lasting influence of Enlightenment ideas in modern politics, economics, and society.
Rationalism: This school of thought emphasized the use of reason and intellect rather than tradition or dogma. Rationalists believed that human reason could be used to discover truths about the universe and that knowledge could be gained through careful observation and experimentation.
Empiricism: This was the school of thought that emphasized the importance of experience and observation in gaining knowledge about the world. Empiricists believed that knowledge could only be gained through observation of the world, through study and experimentation.
Natural Law: Natural law was the belief that there were fundamental laws and principles in the universe that could be discovered and understood through reason. Natural law theorists believed that by understanding these laws, humanity could create a just and stable society.
Utilitarianism: This was the belief that the goal of society should be to maximize overall happiness or pleasure. Utilitarians believed that actions should be judged in terms of their utility or usefulness in creating the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.
Social Contract Theory: This theory was developed in response to the idea of absolute monarchy. Social contract theorists argued that rulers had a moral obligation to govern in the interests of the people they governed. If rulers did not do so, the people had the right to rebel or overthrow them.
Romanticism: This was a cultural and artistic movement that emerged in response to the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and logic. Romanticism emphasized the importance of emotion, individualism, and the natural world.
Feminism: Feminist writers and thinkers during the Enlightenment argued for women's rights, including the right to education, the right to vote, and the right to participate fully in society.
Pantheism: This was the belief that God and the universe were identical. Pantheists saw the universe as a deeply interconnected and divine whole.
"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."