Enlightenment thinkers in Britain, in France and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. The, The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a philosophical movement in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. At its core was a belief in the use and celebration of reason, the power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition., In the 17th and 18th centuries, a bold movement swept across Europe, which introduced the idea that you could challenge authority, tradition, and centuries of established thought. Known as the Enlightenment, it inspired an entire generation of thinkers, scientists, and revolutionaries., The Enlightenment was a complex and multifaceted movement that defies easy summary or characterization. At its core, it was a philosophical project that sought to apply the tools of reason and science to every aspect of human life, from politics and economics to art and education., Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature, and humanity were synthesized into a worldview that gained wide assent in the West and that instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics., The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Enlightenment, was a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. It was centered around the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy, and it advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional .