Enlightenment

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Enlightenment

Q: When and where did the Enlightenment take place?

Historians place the Enlightenment in Europe (with a strong emphasis on France ) during the late 17th and the 18th centuries, or, more comprehensively, between the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and the French Revolution of 1789. It represents a phase in the intellectual history of Europe and also programs of reform, inspired by a belief in the possibility of a better world, that outlined specific targets for criticism and programs of action.

Q: What led to the Enlightenment?

The roots of the Enlightenment can be found in the humanism of the Renaissance , with its emphasis on the study of Classical literature. The Protestant Reformation , with its antipathy toward received religious dogma, was another precursor. Perhaps the most important sources of what became the Enlightenment were the complementary rational and empirical methods of discovering truth that were introduced by the scientific revolution.

Q: Who were some of the major figures of the Enlightenment?

Some of the most important writers of the Enlightenment were the Philosophes of France, especially Voltaire and the political philosopher Montesquieu . Other important Philosophes were the compilers of the Encyclopédie , including Denis Diderot , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , and Condorcet . Outside France, the Scottish philosophers and economists David Hume and Adam Smith , the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham , Immanuel Kant of Germany, and the American statesman Thomas Jefferson were notable Enlightenment thinkers.

Q: What were the most important ideas of the Enlightenment?

It was thought during the Enlightenment that human reasoning could discover truths about the world, religion, and politics and could be used to improve the lives of humankind. Skepticism about received wisdom was another important idea; everything was to be subjected to testing and rational analysis. Religious tolerance and the idea that individuals should be free from coercion in their personal lives and consciences were also Enlightenment ideas.

Q: What were some results of the Enlightenment?

The French Revolution and the American Revolution were almost direct results of Enlightenment thinking. The idea that society is a social contract between the government and the governed stemmed from the Enlightenment as well. Widespread education for children and the founding of universities and libraries also came about as a result. However, there was a countermovement that followed the Enlightenment in the late 18th and mid-19th centuries— Romanticism .

European history

Also known as: Age of Reason, Aufklärung, siècle de Lumières

Written by Brian Duignan

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 • Article History

Isaac Newton

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Category: History & Society

French:: siècle des Lumières (literally “century of the Enlightened”)

German:: Aufklärung

Date:: c. 1601 - c. 1800

Location:: Europe

Key People:: Francis Bacon; Immanuel Kant; John Locke; Friedrich Nicolai; Jean-Jacques Rousseau

On the Web:: Council on Foreign Relations - World 101 - What is the Enlightenment and How Did it Transform Politics? (Mar. 28, 2024)

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When and where did the Enlightenment take place?

What led to the Enlightenment?

Who were some of the major figures of the Enlightenment?

What were the most important ideas of the Enlightenment?

What were some results of the Enlightenment?

Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature, and humanity were synthesized into a worldview that gained wide assent in the West and that instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics. Central to Enlightenment thought were the use and celebration of reason, the power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition. The goals of rational humanity were considered to be knowledge, freedom, and happiness. A brief treatment of the Enlightenment follows. For full treatment, see Europe, history of: The Enlightenment. The powers and uses of ...(100 of 1098 words)

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