Final answer:
The Enlightenment introduced a new approach to education, emphasizing reason, scientific observation, and the protection of individual freedoms. This led to the creation of institutions and reforms in education that laid the groundwork for modern academic disciplines.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in 18th-century Europe that profoundly influenced education among many other areas of society. Thinkers like Yacob and Copernicus emphasized rationalism and scientific method over traditional religious doctrines. This led to the establishment of schools and institutes dedicated to the expansion of knowledge about the natural world. Public education began to incorporate the ideals of the Enlightenment, which included reason, scientific observation, and mathematical logic as the foundations of learning.
During the Enlightenment, the concept of natural rights and the idea of progress encouraged educational reform. Intellectual exchange became central, promoting the spirit of critical thinking inspired by the Scientific Revolution, the Italian Renaissance, and the legacy of Muslim, Greek, and Indian scientific contributions. Enhanced literacy rates for the elite, the creation of lending libraries, and the establishment of reading clubs helped to democratize knowledge. The works of political theorists like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced social contract theory and further informed the evolution of educational philosophies, advocating for the protection of individual freedoms.