Enlightenment, The, a period in European history that occurred during the 18th century. This period is also known as the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment was a time of awakening of political, social, and economic thought. The ideas of the Enlightenment originated in France and eventually spread throughout much of Europe and into the North American colonies of Britain. These ideas helped lay the philosophical foundations for the American and French revolutions.
The Enlightenment developed out of the works of 17th-century thinkers such as Isaac Newton, René Descartes, and John Locke. A belief in the supremacy of reason was the chief characteristic of the Enlightenment. Thinkers of the Enlightenment believed that through the use of reason, people could learn humanity's true nature and use this knowledge to establish a perfect society.
Another hallmark of the Enlightenment was an enduring belief in the scientific method, rationalism, and the existence of unchangeable natural laws. Many of the writings of the Enlightenment challenged the accepted political ideas and religious beliefs of the time, including the concept that monarchs receive their right to rule directly from God.
The foremost figures in the Enlightenment were a group of French thinkers known as philosophes. The preeminent member of this group was the writer, historian, and poet Voltaire. He emerged as the Enlightenment's chief critic of contemporary culture and religion. Another important member of this group was Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose writings greatly influenced the political thinking of the time. Also influential were the writings of Charles, Baron de Montesquieu, who challenged the idea of rule by a monarch and championed individual freedom. The philosopher Denis Diderot, in collaboration with Jean D'Alembert, planned and edited a multivolume encyclopedia designed to include all realms of knowledge. Many of the entries were written by other philosophies.
Notable Enlightenment figures in Britain included the philosopher and economist Adam Smith, the philosopher and historian David Hume, and the philosopher Jeremy Bentham. In German-speaking countries, people such as the philosophers Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Moses Mendelssohn championed the ideas of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment figures in North America included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine. Several monarchs during this period, including Frederick the Great of Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Joseph II of Austria, were known as enlightened despots because they supported many ideas of the Enlightenment.
