enlightenmentclarification

Enlightenmentclarification is a neologism used in contemporary discourse to describe a methodological aim that blends the rationalist ideals of the Enlightenment with deliberate practices of clarification. In this sense, it refers to an approach that seeks not only to illuminate answers but also to make the grounds for those answers transparent through precise definitions, explicit premises, and careful evaluation of evidence.

The term appears mainly in philosophical and educational discussions and is not widely standardized. It is used more as a descriptive label for a family of practices than as a formal doctrine. Proponents typically apply the concept to debates where ambiguity or conflation of terms threatens understanding, including ethics, politics, science communication, and religious or cultural discourse.

Core features include precise definition of terms, explicit articulation of assumptions, clear separation of belief from knowledge, and the systematic examination of reasoning and evidence. Advocates emphasize communicability, epistemic humility, and a readiness to revise positions in light of new or better arguments. The goal is to foster reasoning that is transparent, tractable, and accessible to non-specialists, while maintaining rigorous standards of justification.

Applications vary from classroom pedagogy and curriculum design to public policy debates and media literacy. Practitioners might use clarification exercises, concept maps, or structured debates to reduce confusion about central notions such as truth, autonomy, or freedom, and to promote shared understanding.

Critics argue that the term is vague and potentially valorizes a Western-centric project of enlightenment. They caution that operationalizing enlightenmentclarification across diverse traditions can be challenging and may overlook alternative epistemic frameworks. See also epistemology, philosophy of education, critical thinking.