At the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century there is a widespread renewal of interest in the “Project Enlightenment” and its relevance for the present day. The subject has rarely been touched upon in Russia. However, the concept “enlightenment” can be found in Russian present-day public discourse. Here the different Russian traditions in the interpretation of enlightenment are taken up once more. The changes and modifications of the concept “enlightenment” in Russian intellectual history lead to an understanding of the discourse of enlightenment in contemporary Russia. First of all, I sketch the most significant stages in the history of the concept of enlightenment in Russia. Important in this context is an anti-enlightenment campaign initiated and supported by the Tsar and the Church which claimed the concept of enlightenment as its own. A continuation of this movement can be found in some areas of contemporary public discourse which are essentially controlled by representatives of the Church. On the other hand, one finds in the media popular presentations of up-to-date scientific research where the principles of modern rationality and their importance for a culture of humanity are excluded. I show also the place of Kant’s philosophy in this tradition and conclude with a thesis concerning the prospects of the “Project Enlightenment” in Russia today.

AbstractConnected global intellectual history can contribute to the process of decolonising the curricula by decentring Europe and resituating it as part of an interconnected world. From this perspective, Europe is displaced from being imagined as the source of knowledge and the Western tradition is unbound. This article shows how cultural and intellectual phenomena of the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the tradition of universal history, which have been seen as emanating from Europe, were produced by global processes. The concepts produced by these intellectual and cultural movement cannot be confined to the European units of context but rather had global lives. This article shows how looking at the connections of global intellectual history in general, and the influence of the Americas in particular, can contribute to the decolonisation of the curriculum.

The concept of criticism and critical philosophy takes up a significant position in Western political thought, particularly after the emergence of the rational trend connected with the Age of Enlightenment and its principles of emancipation and progress. Also, it has become the spirit of civilization, the essential stimulus of creativity, and an effective manifestation of the awakening of individual and social consciousness, aimed at realizing the world, and altering it through the uncovering of human beings potentiality of strength and weakness, and the challenge of all that shackles one’s freedom and impedes one’s development and progress. Given that, enlightenment is a cultural trend that has disseminated in Europe and made the mind the sole source of knowledge. Thus, the German Illuminati strove for the success of reason and defended the legitimacy of scientific criticism by calling for social equality of individuals before reasons. The German Enlightenment went through several stages, beginning with Leibniz, Wolfe Welsung, up to Kant, being the founder of critical philosophy.

The concept of criticism and critical philosophy takes up a significant position in Western political thought, particularly after the emergence of the rational trend connected with the Age of Enlightenment and its principles of emancipation and progress. Also, it has become the spirit of civilization, the essential stimulus of creativity, and an effective manifestation of the awakening of individual and social consciousness, aimed at realizing the world, and altering it through the uncovering of human beings potentiality of strength and weakness, and the challenge of all that shackles one’s freedom and impedes one’s development and progress. Given that, enlightenment is a cultural trend that has disseminated in Europe and made the mind the sole source of knowledge. Thus, the German Illuminati strove for the success of reason and defended the legitimacy of scientific criticism by calling for social equality of individuals before reasons. The German Enlightenment went through several stages, beginning with Leibniz, Wolfe Welsung, up to Kant, being the founder of critical philosophy.

This paper discusses the possible historical deduction of the European pattern after the French Revolution. By analyzing the influence of the French Revolution on the political, social, economic and cultural fields, this paper studies the reform and change within European countries, the rebalancing of European powers and the evolution of international relations. On this basis, it puts forward the analysis of possible historical paths, including the possibility of European integration after the French Revolution, European division and conflict, and European balance and stability. Finally, the paper summarizes and evaluates the historical deduction of the European pattern after the French Revolution, and discusses the direction of future research and possible enlightenment.

The age of enlightenment is a turning point in the movements of Neo-Classicism toward Romanticism. This period emerges after preparing the ground for the decline of neoclassicism in the first half of the eighteenth century in the areas of art, literature, etc. in Europe. It is considered as the beginning of a period of art and literature consisting of artistic creativity and intuitive perception. Three main principles of "unity of time", "unity of place", and "unity of subject" based on which the classical literature was founded become subject to change and transformation. England, Germany, and France were the primary manifestation points of this movement in European literature. Although the role of the literature of ancient east in the foundations of the characteristics of "Romanticism" and pre-romanticism cannot be overlooked, the social grounds of the emergence of this age can be summarized in the longings for change of society, getting tired of old criteria in the fields of art and literature, tendency toward platonic thoughts, and escape from modernity and inclination toward logical thoughts in the works of "Kant" and "Rousseau".

Two hundred and twenty years after the French Revolution, the problem of defining the concept of the Enlightenment still persists. Considering the lack of agreement over the defining features of this movement or epoch, our aim is to show that it has never been fully and clearly defined and understood. The author therefore suggests making a distinction between enlightenment (enlightening) and the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment as a period linked to 18th century Europe, can be understood as part of a broader process of enlightenment or enlightening. The Enlightenment should not be viewed as a homogenous whole, an integral process, but as a (still living) tissue, that still exerts considerable influence on Western thought and culture. The author argues, however, that the accusations of projecting or inventing the Enlightenment have not proved very useful, because they interfere with our understanding of this complex phenomenon and important movement in European history.

This article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the influence of the era and the ideology of the Enlightenment on the vital activity of the Western European great culture and the modern world. From a conservative position, within the framework of a civilizational approach, the author considers the regularity of their formation in the process of development of the Western European great culture, and also analyzes the consequences that they had, both for Western European culture and for all mankind as a whole, especially for the scientific sphere of life. The Age of Enlightenment, according to the author, was associated with active penetration into science, into the educational system of the ideology of the Enlight-enment, and, accordingly, the introduction of various manipulative techniques and practices into them. Naturally, this circumstance had the most negative impact on the quality and objectivity of assessments of various kinds of state-legal, socio-political and historical phenomena and processes, naturally plunging these branches of knowledge into a severe crisis state. The excessive ideologization of modern social sciences and the humanities, including the ideologemes of the Enlightenment (as well as the ideologemes of Marxism and neoliberalism growing from them), make this issue an extremely relevant area of modern sociological research, and overcoming these negative consequences of this era and its ideology is a challenge for modern scientific thought, systems of secondary and higher education, as well as the subsequent successful development of modern Russian society and the state. The author of the article makes a special emphasis on the analysis of the key provisions of the ideology of the Enlightenment, as well as the results of the propaganda of the ideology of the Enlightenment, which marked the beginning of the era of manipulation and the active implementation of large-scale social manipulative projects in relation to significant human communities, entire cultural regions, its special role in the implementation of the Great French Revolution and the formation anti-systemic mindset.

This article discusses the basic directions of development of the concept of in the philosophical and political and legal opinions of the thinkers of the Enlightenment in Western Europe, covering the 17th-18th centuries that have passed a long evolutionary path that originated various interpretations and concepts. Theoretical prerequisites of the doctrine of interest, having emerged in the ancient philosophy, got some development during the Renaissance, in particular in the works of N. Machiavelli, who proclaimed the primacy of the public interest over private interests. The Enlightenment formed a whole galaxy of major thinkers, philosophers, politicians, scientists, who have made an invaluable contribution to the development of general philosophical and political legal opinion on human nature and society. The life and work of educators passed in the historical period of exacerbation of contradictions of feudal monarchical absolutism, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the formation and development of industrial production that caused the need for scientific and technical knowledge, as well as in social philosophy. The public and philosophical thought of the time was characterized by rationalism, free thought and the struggle against clericalism and adoption of materialistic ideas. In the political legal sphere the ideas of equality and freedom prevailed. The author emphasizes the views of T. Gobbs, F.-M. A. Voltaire, D. Diderot, J.-J. Roussaeu, C. A. Helvetius P.-H. d'Holbach and I. Kant about the nature of interests, their role in social development, the ratio of private and public interests in a fair state. The conducted analysis shows that the interest having a biological origin and social nature, is based on the needs of individuals and society, and from the content point of view is characterized by moral-psychological, aesthetic, spiritual, political, economic, legal and other aspects. Interest is not always a strong imperative, but evident in individual cases as a driving force for action in both the individual and the state and reflects the variety of forms and types of social interaction in the triad individual-society-state.

The Age of Enlightenment was a movement of philosophy that dominated Europe's sphere of ideas. This movement advocated ideals like as freedom, progress, compassion, brotherhood, constitutional rule, church and state separation, all based on the concept that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy. The precise beginning of such an age of enlightenment is under discussion, while the beginnings of the 18th century (1701) are often mentioned as starting points, even in the mid-19th century (1650). According to French historians, the period is usually between 1715 and 1789. The end of the Enlightenment was usually the result of many historians until the latter years of the siècle; generally, the French Revolution began in 1789, or the Napoleonic War (1804– 15). The Enlightenment was generally adopted by most European countries with a regional emphasis. Cultural contact between particular European countries and across the Atlantic had occurred in both ways throughout Age of Enlightenment. In the discussion and thought about illumination, science started to take center stage. The Enlightenment was long regarded by Western civilizations as the intellectual and political foundation. It was in charge of the political modernization of the West. Concerning religion, the critique of the Enlightenment era has responded to the European religious struggle of the last century. The researchers have reviewed the relevant studies on the Age of Enlightenment and determined that, by living in the present moment in the future, their knowledge of life and the world around it may be enlightened and expanded.