Enlightenment is a term that can refer to different things depending on the context. In philosophy, Enlightenment refers to a period in European intellectual history during the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized the use of reason to advance understanding of the world. In this sense, Enlightenment thinkers believed that knowledge, freedom, and happiness could be achieved through the use of reason and the scientific method.
In addition to this historical context, Enlightenment can also refer to a state of being. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher from the Enlightenment period, defined Enlightenment as "mans emergence from his self-incurred immaturity". According to Kant, immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without guidance from another. Enlightenment, then, is the state of being in which one is able to use their own reason and intellect without the guidance of others.
Overall, Enlightenment can refer to a historical period in European intellectual history or a state of being in which one is able to use their own reason and intellect without the guidance of others.
