» DefinitionThe Enlightenment (ca.

» Definition
The Enlightenment (ca. 1650-1800) was a period of unprecedented optimism in the potential for knowledge and reason to improve the world. Since this optimism has persisted right up to the present day, the Enlightenment can be summarized as “the birth of the modern Western outlook”.
The Enlightenment could also be summarized as “the age in which humanism reached its fully-developed form”. Humanism is an outlook that affirms the importance of two things: critical thought and secular matters (see Humanism). During the Enlightenment (and continuing up to the present), secular subjects flourished like never before, as did the application of critical thought to all knowledge.
» The Notion of Progress
It was during the Enlightenment that the notion of progress came to be a standard feature of the Western outlook; that is, the view that human civilization is becoming ever more advanced (technologically, politically, socially, and so on).3 This can be described as a “linear view” of history. It is often argued that up until the Enlightenment, a “cyclical view” or “static view” of history prevailed; that is, the view that humanity does not truly progress in any direction, but simply undergoes cycles of prosperity and poverty, peace and war, and so on. Perhaps the most important factor in awakening a sense of progress was the dramatic advance of science.
The importance of the notion of progress must not be underestimated. The more widespread it became, the more people came to believe they could change the world for the better (via knowledge and reason). In greater numbers than ever before, people felt encouraged to pursue education and be innovative. This positive attitude is reflected in the strong educational focus of the present-day Western world, in terms of both institutions (including primary, secondary, and university levels) and popular interest in knowledge (e.g. museums, documentaries, scholarly magazines).A337-38,H881