Lesson 83 of 84 · World Religions
⭐ 30 XP🤝 People CircleThe Enlightenment: New Ideas
The Enlightenment, spanning the late 17th and 18th centuries, was an intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of authority.
🎯 Your mission
Notice what's the same. Celebrate what's different.
⚡ The twist
What feels weird to you is normal to someone else — and that's the point.
Mind = Blown
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Then & Now
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The Enlightenment, spanning the late 17th and 18th centuries, was an intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of authority. Philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau challenged traditional ideas about government, religion, and society, advocating for fundamental rights and the social contract. This movement laid the groundwork for modern democratic thought and inspired revolutions across the globe, including the American and French Revolutions. The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and empirical evidence shifted the way people viewed the world, encouraging progress in science, politics, and philosophy.
Key Facts
The Enlightenment emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of authority.
Philosophers like John Locke and Voltaire were key figures in this movement.
The Enlightenment inspired revolutions, including the American and French Revolutions.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2What was a key theme of the Enlightenment?
Why this still matters
Walk through your neighborhood — every house has a different story.
Stretch Challenge
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Learn how to say hello in three new languages.
For the dinner table
“Tell me about a tradition in our family — and where you think it came from.”
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