Reference Article: A brief overview of the Enlightenment period of the 18th century. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. While the ...

For Immanuel Kant, the central theme of the Enlightenment—that great 18th century movement that emphasized the power of reason—was Sapere aude. This is usually translated as "Dare to know" or, more ...

The Renaissance is conventionally dated from the 14th to the 17th centuries, but the French term “Renaissance” was coined in the 19th. The major events of the “Scientific Revolution” are usually ...

Gabrielle Émilie le Tonnelier-de-Breteuil, known as the Marquise du Châtelet after her marriage at age 18, was a brilliant philosopher in the French Enlightenment, whose reputation has too long been ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. What is enlightenment, and where, when and how did it happen? One traditional answer is that the Enlightenment ...

Although the Enlightenment revolutionized human thought and transformed the world, it failed to produce a coherent theory of knowledge. The central reason is that the modernist systems of science and ...

The Enlightenment provides a touchstone for our understanding of modern history and, not least, for our sense of the current moment. More than two centuries ago, a shift in outlook sought to throw off ...

As we kick off the year commemorating the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Army, we’ll reflect on the rich legacy of service, highlighting events that marked periods in our ...

Dr. Bell is a professor of history at Princeton. Will artificial intelligence bring about an intellectual revolution as profound as the Enlightenment? Enthusiasts like to make this claim, and even use ...

Jonathan Israel’s epic defense of "Radical Enlightenment" has the dogmatic ring of a profession of faith. By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional ...

Enlightenment, the ultimate form of connection with the divine, and of course, inner peace, is hard to achieve. Only a select few are able to achieve enlightenment, leave their desires of the world, ...