Final answer:
The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement in 17th and 18th century Europe, focused on reason as the key to authority, advocating ideals such as liberty, progress, and separation of church and state, ultimately leading to major political and social transformations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Central Focus of Enlightenment
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, was a transformative intellectual movement in 17th and 18th century Europe. The central focus of the Enlightenment was the elevation of reason as the primary source of authority and legitimacy, challenging traditional structures of power such as the monarchy and the church. Key Enlightenment ideals included liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and the separation of church and state. Influenced by the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Isaac Newton, and Voltaire promoted the scientific method, critical inquiry, and a new optimism in the power of human intellect.
Philosophical debate during the Enlightenment extended to the autonomy of individuals, with criticism aimed at the privileges of the nobility, the dominance of the Catholic Church, and arbitrary royal entitlements. These discussions fueled social and political transformations, leading to revolutionary events like the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. The press played a crucial role in disseminating Enlightenment ideas, fostering an atmosphere of openness, investigation, and religious tolerance that marked a major turning point in Western civilization.