Enlightenment Ideals

Rationalism

knowledge can be attained through the use of reason (rational thought)

Empiricism

knowledge can be gained through experiences (mainly through the senses – what can be felt, seen, heard, etc.) as well as through the collection and analysis of evidence and is a fundamental aspect of the scientific method

Secularism

religion and religious beliefs should be excluded from civic affairs (government, economics, education, etc.)

Universalism

all concepts of the Enlightenment can be applied to all people, whether ruler or ruled, rich or poor, educated or ignorant, urban or rural, slave or noble, woman or man, etc.

Equality

all people in society should have the same rights and privileges as well as the same limitations (the rule of law) and be treated in the same manner

Individualism

a concept that places the focus on the individual (as opposed to the community) and the removal of barriers to achieve the highest amount of freedom for everyone

Freedom

a person has the power to exercise choice and make decisions without political, social, or natural interference (although, in reality, most freedoms come with social responsibility and some restrictions)

Toleration

acknowledgement of the presence and practice of differing opinions or beliefs without opposition or persecution, but does not necessarily mean acceptance

Progress

development and maturation of society that is considered to be more sophisticated, beneficial, superior and complex than the previous state

Natural Rights

an innate set of rights and freedoms given by God (nature) that cannot be taken away or restricted by government

Democracy/Popular Sovereignty/Consent of the Governed

a government, in which political (legislative, executive, and judicial) power originates, rests, and is controlled by the people

Social Contract Theory

a mutual agreement between government and the people, where the people give up some of their freedoms to live under the protection of a government

Deism

the theological ideology that the universe was created by a higher being (in other words, a belief in a god not the God of the Christians). The deists theorized that both faith and organized religion (especially those that claim that their books and scriptures contained the revealed word of God, as deists believed that those works were nothing more than human interpretations) were unnecessary as only the application of reason and the observation of the natural world were all that was needed to know that a Creator existed. According to deists, the supreme being not only created the laws of nature, but governed by them as well. The Creator did not interfere or suspend natural laws but continued to operate within the scope of those laws. Therefore, deists rejected the idea of divine or supernatural acts, such as miracles, manifestations, messages, revelations, prophecies, etc., which they considered to be nothing more than religious superstitions.