Enlightenment

Definition

The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that emerged in the late 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. It marked a shift towards valuing scientific inquiry and rational thought over superstition and dogma, significantly influencing art, literature, and politics.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Enlightenment produced key figures such as Voltaire, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant, who contributed ideas about government, ethics, and human rights.
2. The movement encouraged the questioning of traditional institutions like monarchy and the church, promoting ideas of democracy and separation of powers.
3. Enlightenment ideas were instrumental in inspiring revolutions, including the American Revolution and the French Revolution, which sought to implement principles of liberty and equality.
4. The concept of the sublime emerged during the Enlightenment as a way to describe experiences that inspire awe or terror, significantly influencing art and literature.
5. The period saw the rise of the novel as a literary form, allowing for greater exploration of individual characters' thoughts and emotions in a rapidly changing society.

Review Questions

• How did Enlightenment thinkers challenge traditional authority in their writings?
  • Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and John Locke challenged traditional authority by advocating for reason, skepticism towards established institutions, and the rights of individuals. They criticized absolute monarchies and dogmatic religious beliefs, promoting ideas of freedom of thought and expression. By emphasizing rational discourse over inherited privilege, they laid the groundwork for modern democratic ideals.
• Discuss the impact of Enlightenment ideas on the development of the European novel during this period.
  • Enlightenment ideas significantly shaped the European novel by encouraging authors to explore themes of individualism, moral dilemmas, and social critiques. This shift allowed writers to delve into characters' inner thoughts and emotions in ways previously unseen. Novels became a medium for discussing Enlightenment ideals such as liberty, equality, and personal responsibility, transforming literature into a tool for social change.
• Evaluate how the concept of the sublime evolved during the Enlightenment and its implications for later artistic movements.
  • During the Enlightenment, the concept of the sublime evolved to represent feelings of awe and terror evoked by nature or art. Thinkers like Edmund Burke analyzed how these emotions can lead to a deeper understanding of beauty beyond mere pleasure. This exploration influenced later artistic movements like Romanticism, which embraced intense emotional experiences as central to art and literature. The sublime highlighted a shift from rational thought to valuing emotional depth in human experience.

Related terms

Rationalism: A philosophical belief that reason is the primary source of knowledge and should guide understanding, often associated with thinkers like René Descartes.

Romanticism: An artistic and literary movement that reacted against the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason, celebrating emotion, nature, and individual experience.

Humanism: A cultural and intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements, emphasizing education and the study of classical texts during the Renaissance, which laid groundwork for Enlightenment thinking.