Osvícení

Osvícení, in Czech, denotes Enlightenment or awakening and can refer to two related but distinct meanings. It can describe the European intellectual and cultural movement of roughly the 17th to the 18th century that promoted reason, science, and secular governance. It can also denote spiritual or religious awakening in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the experiential realization of ultimate truth and liberation.

European Enlightenment refers to a progressive reform of thought and society grounded in reason and empirical inquiry. Core ideas included the primacy of human reason, the scientific method, skepticism toward absolute authority, and the belief that progress is possible through education, reform, and law. Key themes were liberty, toleration, constitutional government, religious neutrality, and the social contract. Prominent figures such as Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant, Hume, Smith, and Wollstonecraft shaped debates on politics, ethics, and education. The movement contributed to reforms in governance, science, and public life and laid intellectual groundwork for liberal democracies. It also faced criticisms for Eurocentrism, scientific arrogance, and the legacy of colonialism and inequality.

Spiritual osvícení refers to awakening in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, characterized by insights into the nature of reality, the cessation of craving, and liberation from cycle of rebirth. In Buddhism, terms such as bodhi and nirvana describe this realization; in Hinduism, moksha represents liberation through self-knowledge and detachment. These forms of osvícení emphasize experiential insight, meditation, ethical conduct, and liberation rather than external authority.

In Czech usage, osvícení also evokes the historical period in Central Europe associated with reforms in education, science, and administration, as well as a broader modern sense of secular humanism and intellectual progress.