The main characteristics of the Enlightenment are the following ones:
- Reason: The emphasis on rationality and the belief that human reason can uncover truths and improve society.
- Science and Empiricism: A strong belief in the power of observation, evidence, and scientific inquiry to understand the natural world.
- Skepticism: Questioning traditional authority, dogma, and superstition, and advocating for critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning.
- Individualism: Valuing the worth and autonomy of the individual, including ideas of individual rights, freedoms, and self-determination.
- Secularism: Promoting a separation between religion and state, advocating for religious tolerance, and embracing a more secular worldview.
- Progress: The idea that human society can progress and improve through knowledge, education, and the application of reason.
- Equality: Advocating for equality and challenging social hierarchies, including notions of equality before the law and social justice.
- Humanism: Placing importance on human beings, their well-being, dignity, and potential, while valuing compassion, empathy, and moral responsibility.
