The answer to this question really depends on which philosopher you want to know about. But generally, philosophers of the Enlightenment Age emphasized the autonomy of reason for knowledge. That is, reason was considered to be absolute in terms of knowing things in contrast to divine revelation, Scripture, experience, tradition, etc.
The philosophes primarily belonged to the bourgeoisie, which was the middle class during the Enlightenment. They were educated individuals who came from various professions such as lawyers, physicians, writers, and scholars. Some philosophes also came from the nobility or clergy.
philosophes
French philosophers and social critics during the Enlightenment were known as philosophes. They played a significant role in shaping intellectual thought in 18th-century France, advocating for reason, progress, and individual freedoms.
The philosophes were intellectuals during the Enlightenment of the 18th century. They were people who studied learning, history, politics, science, social issues, and economics. They were advocates for tolerance and progress.
Philosophes, nobles, and members of the upper middle class intermingled. This was during the Enlightenment period on Europe.
A philosophe was an intellectual during the time of the Enlightenment in the 18th century. Famous philosophes included Rousseau, Hobbes, and Locke.
The Enlightenment period began in Europe, specifically in France and England during the 18th century. It was a time when philosophers, scientists, and thinkers emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over traditional beliefs and authority.
Voltaire believed in the power of reason, tolerance, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. He emphasized the importance of education and intellectual freedom, championing these ideas during the Enlightenment era as a means to challenge traditional authority and promote social progress.
Catherine the Great was the Russian ruler who was admired by the philosophes during the revolution. She reigned from 1762 to 1796.
Paris was considered the center of the early Enlightenment during the 18th century. It was a hub for intellectuals, philosophers, and writers who gathered to exchange ideas and challenge traditional beliefs. The salons in Paris played a significant role in fostering intellectual discussions and promoting progressive ideas.
The Founding Fathers were greatly influenced by the works of Enlightenment philosophers like john Locke and other Enlightenment principles that championed the rights of men. Liberalism beliefs in the rights of individuals was a direct offshoot of values developed during the Enlightenment.
When Pshycology became the smartest ology in the World. I wish it could be as cynical and as simple as above, but I'm afraid it's a lot more complex than that. During the 18th century, the Enlightenment emerged as a social, philosophical, political, and literary movement that espoused rational thought and methodical observation of the world. The term 'Enlightenment' refers to the belief by the movement's contributors that they were leaving behind the dark ignorance and blind belief that characterized the past. The freethinking writers of the period sought to evaluate and understand life by way of scientific observation and critical reasoning rather than through uncritically accepted religion, tradition, and social conventions. At the center of the Enlightenment were the philosophes, a group of intellectual deists who were centered in Paris. Deists believe in the existence of a creative but uninvolved God, and they believe in the basic goodness, rather than sinfulness, of humankind. Because this view of God contradicted the accepted religious views of the day, the philosophes were considered very dangerous. The church wielded considerable power at the time, so the philosophes were subjected to censorship and restrictive decrees carrying harsh punishments. Still, the philosophes continued to spread their views, and as the church's political power dwindled over the years, the Enlightenment gained momentum. In fact, by the 1770s, many philosophes collected government pensions and held important academic positions. Scholars do not agree on the exact dates of the Enlightenment. Most literary historians support the claim that it ended with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, and they place the beginning somewhere between 1660 and 1685.