1 : the act or means of enlightening : the state of being enlightened. 2 capitalized : a philosophical movement of the 18th century marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism —used with the.

We use enlighten as a verb meaning to clear up, to remove confusion. Light is also a powerful metaphor for spiritual insight. If you have a great revelation about the divinity of the world, you could say you have been enlightened. The era known as the “Age of Reason” is also called the Enlightenment.

These thinkers valued reason, science, religious tolerance, and what they called “natural rights”—life, liberty, and property. Enlightenment philosophers John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau all developed theories of government in which some or even all the people would govern.

What are the four fundamental principles of Enlightenment? (1) The law like order of the natural world. (2) The power of human reason. (3) The “natural rights” of individuals (including the right to self government) (4) The progressive improvement of society.

“The Enlightenment” has been regarded as a turning point in the intellectual history of the West. The principles of religious tolerance, optimism about human progress and a demand for rational debate are often thought to be a powerful legacy of the ideas of Locke, Newton, Voltaire and Diderot.

The goal of the Enlightenment thinkers was to enlighten—or inform—the public. They aimed to convince others of their ideas. Their hope was to crush superstition, intolerance, and slavery. They wanted to make people “freer, richer, and more civilized.”

They believed human reason could be used to achieve three great goals-knowledge, freedom, and happiness-and that achieving these goals would improve society. The use of reason in guiding people’s thoughts about philosophy, society, and politics defined a time period called the Enlightenment.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinkers argued that liberty was a natural human right and that reason and scientific knowledge—not the state or the church—were responsible for human progress.

Causes. On the surface, the most apparent cause of the Enlightenment was the Thirty Years’ War. This horribly destructive war, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, compelled German writers to pen harsh criticisms regarding the ideas of nationalism and warfare.

Enlightenment ideas also eventually spread through newspapers, pamphlets, and even political songs. Enlightenment ideas about government and equality attracted the attention of a growing literate mid- dle class, which could afford to buy many books and support the work of artists.

The Enlightenment had a profound effect on religion. Many Christians found the enlightened view of the world consistent with Christian beliefs, and used this rational thinking as support for the existence and benevolence of God. However, the Enlightenment led other Protestants in a very different direction.

The Enlightenment helped combat the excesses of the church, establish science as a source of knowledge, and defend human rights against tyranny. It also gave us modern schooling, medicine, republics, representative democracy, and much more.

To protect against the attacks of the Enlightenment, they waged a war of censorship, or restricting access to ideas and information. They banned and burned books and imprisoned writers. To avoid censorship, philosophes and writers like Montesquieu and Voltaire sometimes disguised their ideas in works of fiction.

The ideas of the Enlightenment were spread by various means: The salons of Paris. Philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, and others gathered to discuss/debate new ideas.

According to Locke, all people are born free and equal with three natural rights – life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government, said Locke, is to protect these rights.

The Enlightenment, a philosophical movement that dominated in Europe during the 18th century, was centered around the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy, and advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state.

Enlightenment helps provide the rights of individual freedom, emancipation, property, and the quest for happiness to every individual. The pioneers of the Enlightenment believed that human logic could defeat tyranny, superstition, and unawareness, thereby creating a better world.