What is the Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment is best defined as an intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. This period, which flourished in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, encouraged thinkers to challenge accepted norms and doctrines, advocating for the use of reason as the primary source of authority and legitimacy. Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau explored ideas about human rights, governance, and the nature of knowledge, significantly influencing democracy and contemporary thought.

In contrast, the other options represent distinct movements or concepts that do not encompass the Enlightenment's core focus. A spiritual movement centered on religious authority does not align with the Enlightenment’s characteristic embrace of rational thought over tradition. A political system based on absolute power aligns more closely with concepts of absolutism, which the Enlightenment often critiqued. An artistic movement focused on nature, though relevant in the context of Romanticism that followed, does not capture the essence of the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and intellect.