Abstract
‘The Enlightenment’ describes the varying definitions of Enlightenment, how it has been reconstructed as a historical phenomenon, and explains why it has been so contested. The Enlightenment is described as a distinct intellectual movement of the 18th century, dedicated to the better understanding, and therefore the practical advancement, of the human condition on this earth. From the beginning, it was associated with ‘philosophy’ and the philosophical ideas of ‘Enlightenment’ were identified with the ‘modern’, and, increasingly, with ‘modernity’ itself. When it came under historical scrutiny in the 20th century, Enlightenment was discovered to have been a broader, more complex movement than had previously been appreciated.
