The Age of Enlightenment

Enlightenment Movement

• Occurred in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Emphasized the pursuit of knowledge via reason and sensory evidence.

Central Ideas of the Enlightenment

• Advocated for the use of reason as the primary source of authority and legitimacy.
• Promoted individual rights, liberty, and freedom of thought.
• Encouraged skepticism towards traditional doctrines and institutions, including the church and monarchy.
• Fostered the idea that humanity could be improved through education and science.

Influential Figures of the Enlightenment

• John Locke: Advocated for natural rights and the social contract.
• Voltaire: Criticized the church and championed civil liberties and freedom of speech.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Explored concepts of general will and direct democracy.
• Immanuel Kant: Promoted the idea of enlightenment as the emergence from self-imposed immaturity.

Beginning of the Enlightenment

• Often dated to the late 17th century, with key developments in the early 18th century.
• The scientific revolution served as a precursor, significantly influencing Enlightenment thinkers.

Test your knowledge on the Age of Enlightenment and its impact on Western Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Explore the intellectual and philosophical movement that emphasized reason, knowledge, and human happiness.