Enlightenment: The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment , also known as the Age of Enlightenment , was an intellectual and cultural movement that emerged in Europe during the late 17th and 18th centuries. It marked a shift from traditional thinking to a focus on reason, science, individualism, and human rights. This transformative period laid the foundation for modern Western societies and significantly influenced various fields, including philosophy, science, politics, and literature. Let us discuss in detail the Enlightenment ... For Enlightenment thinkers themselves, however, the Enlightenment is not an historical period, but a process of social, psychological or spiritual development, unbound to time or place. Immanuel Kant defines “ enlightenment ” in his famous contribution to debate on the question in an essay entitled “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment ?” (1784), as humankind’s release from its self-incurred immaturity; “immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding ... The Enlightenment , often referred to as the Age of Reason, stands as one of the most transformative periods in Western intellectual history. Spanning roughly from the late 17th century to the end of the 18th century, it marked a profound shift in how humans perceived their relationship with knowledge, power, and society. At its core, the Enlightenment emphasized the power of reason, the potential for human progress, and the challenge to traditional authority. It sowed the seeds for modern ...