AUFKLARUNG
Auf"klä*rung, n. [G., enlightenment.]
Definition: 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition