ABSTRACT
The philosophy of the Enlightenment is a European cultural phenomenon of great amplitude that developed for half a century (1720–1770) or more, mainly in France and Germany, and left a profound mark on its own epoch as well as on those that followed it. In France the movement took a militant form and penetrated many levels of society, to such an extent that it has been said that just before the French Revolution, French society was already converted to the ideas of the Enlightenment. 1 In Germany the Aufklärung influenced more restricted circles, both in the state and in society, but there too the effects were of long duration. 2
