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ENLIGHTENMENT

The term used by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and then by others to describe man's coming of age from the state of infancy, in which he was incapable of using his own reason but depended on others, including an alleged revelation from God. The Enlightenment became a movement that has since affected much of the Western world.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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