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Final answer:
The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, was a transformative intellectual movement in the 18th century that emphasized reason, science, and skepticism of tradition and religious authority. It led to questioning of political systems, advocating individual rights, and fostered advances in scientific thought, significantly impacting Western society.
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The Enlightenment and Its Origins
The intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment began towards the end of the 17th century and flourished during the 18th century in Europe. This period, also referred to as the Age of Reason, prompted a reevaluation of long-standing traditional beliefs in society, emphasizing rational thought, scientific method, and skepticism towards religious authority. Influential works, such as Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica and John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, laid the groundwork for the Enlightenment by promoting the idea that knowledge comes from experience and reasoned investigation rather than from tradition or outside divine inspiration.
Enlightenment thinkers advocated for the power of reason to understand the universe and improve the human condition, eventually leading to the questioning of absolute monarchy, the establishment of individual rights, and the idea of government by popular representation. It introduced a new age of philosophical principles endorsing liberty, rights, and the rejection of tyranny, influencing middle and upper-class Europeans and driving profound societal changes, including political democratization and advancements in scientific inquiry. The Enlightenment marked a critical turning point in Western civilization, often characterized as a transition from 'darkness' to 'light' with regards to intellectual and cultural thought.