The Enlightenment (1685-1815) was an intellectual movement that transformed European thought through reason, science, and individual rights. Centered in France, Britain, and Germany, it rejected superstition and embraced empirical observation and rational inquiry.

Key Thinkers and Works

• Isaac Newton (1643-1727) published Principia Mathematica (1687) in Cambridge, establishing laws of motion and universal gravitation
• John Locke (1632-1704) wrote An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), arguing knowledge comes from experience
• Voltaire (1694-1778) championed religious tolerance and free speech through satirical works in France
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) published The Social Contract (1762), proposing government by popular consent
• Denis Diderot (1713-1784) edited Encyclopédie (1751-1772), a 28-volume compendium of knowledge in Paris

Core Principles

Enlightenment thinkers prioritized reason over tradition, science over dogma, and individual liberty over absolute monarchy. The movement emphasized education, with literacy rates in France increasing approximately 37 percent between 1686 and 1786.

The Berlin Academy of Sciences, founded in 1700, became a hub for Enlightenment research. These ideas directly influenced the American Declaration of Independence (1776) and French Revolution (1789), establishing frameworks for modern democracy.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Age of Enlightenment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment