List of intellectuals of the Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment was a broad philosophical movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The traditional theological-political system that placed Scripture at the center, with religious authorities and monarchies claiming and enforcing their power by divine right, was challenged and overturned in the realm of ideas. In several places these Enlightenment ideas brought fundamental changes undermining religious authority, ushering in religious toleration, freedom of thought, and fueled revolutionary action in some. This alphabetical list of intellectuals includes figures largely from Western Europe and British North America. Overwhelmingly these intellectuals were male, but the emergence of women philosophers who made contributions is notable.