| Aufklärung (aufklarung) |
|---|
| n. | (?) |
|---|
| ||Auf"klä*rung |
| [G.,
enlightenment.] |
A philosophic movement of the 18th century
characterized by a lively questioning of authority, keen interest in
matters of politics and general culture, and an emphasis on empirical
method in science. It received its impetus from the unsystematic but
vigorous skepticism of Pierre Bayle, the physical doctrines of Newton,
and the epistemological theories of Locke, in the preceding century.
Its chief center was in France, where it gave rise to the skepticism
of Voltaire , the naturalism of Rousseau, the sensationalism of
Condillac, and the publication of the "Encyclopedia" by D'Alembert and
Diderot. In Germany, Lessing, Mendelssohn, and Herder were
representative thinkers, while the political doctrines of the leaders
of the American Revolution and the speculations of Benjamin Franklin
and Thomas Paine represented the movement in America.
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In celebration of Noah Webster's Birthday (October 16, 2009), we have prepared an updated website. 