Answer :
Final answer:
The Enlightenment challenged older patterns of European thinking through questioning traditional laws, advocating for political democratization, challenging divine right monarchies, and emphasizing reason and science as the foundation of knowledge.
Explanation:
The Enlightenment challenged older patterns of European thinking in several ways:
- It questioned the legitimacy of traditional laws, political systems, and religious teachings. Enlightenment thinkers, such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke, advocated for political democratization and the protection of individual rights.
- It challenged the notion of divine right monarchies and promoted new ideas on government. Enlightenment ideas on constitutional monarchies or republics contradicted long-standing traditions of political-social order.
- It emphasized reason and science as the foundation of knowledge. The scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries had already established the view that the universe operated according to universal laws. Enlightenment thinkers extended this view to human institutions and nature.