enlightenment

• The Enlightenment period started around 1650 and was characterized by ideas based on reason rather than religion
• Scholars in the Enlightenment period used reason to gain an understanding of the universe and natural world
• Works of Enlightenment thinkers focused on religion, society, government, and human advancement
• Important Enlightenment thinkers included:

  • French writer Voltaire
  • English philosopher John Locke
• Enlightenment thinkers challenged the rule and privileges of kings, nobles, and the Church
• Enlightenment thinkers believed in the potential of individuals to improve themselves and their society
• The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers influenced:

  • The French and American revolutions
  • The development of the ideas behind the democratic system of government in the modern world