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The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a philosophical movement in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. At its core was a belief in the use and celebration of reason, the power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition.
In the 1970s, study of the Enlightenment expanded to include the ways Enlightenment ideas spread to European colonies and how they interacted with indigenous cultures and how the Enlightenment took place in formerly unstudied areas such as Italy, Greece, the Balkans, Poland, Hungary, and Russia.
The Enlightenment thinkers also discussed other ideas that are the founding principles of any democracy—the idea of the importance of the individual who can reason for himself, the idea of equality under the law, and the idea of natural rights.
The Age of Reason, or more commonly known as the Enlightenment, was a movement where reason and science were valued rather than God and faith. The ideas addressed society, human rights, and the separation of powers in the government. The movement started in Europe and made its way towards the colonies.
The Enlightenment was a period in history named not for its battles, but for its ideas. Still, the intellectual and cultural changes it introduced certainly contributed to many political revolutions around the world. The article below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
Effects. Enlightenment ideas were popular and spread quickly. The Roman Catholic Church and European monarchs tried to censor, or ban, many of the books and other works of Enlightenment thinkers. The monarchs were right to be alarmed.
Summary. Overview. Previous Next. The Enlightenment was a sprawling intellectual, philosophical, cultural, and social movement that spread through England, France, Germany, and other parts of Europe during the 1700s.
