Which idea promoted by the Enlightenment questioned traditional authority?

The idea that promoted by the Enlightenment and questioned traditional authority is rationalism and reason. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized the importance of logic, scientific inquiry, and individual rights over established beliefs and traditions. This philosophical movement encouraged people to challenge and scrutinize the accepted norms and doctrines of authority, including governmental structures and religious teachings.

Rationalism posited that human beings could use reason to understand the world and improve society, leading to a questioning of the legitimacy of absolute power held by monarchs and the divine right of kings, which justified their authority based on hereditary succession and divine will. By advocating for reason as the basis of knowledge and political theory, Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau laid the groundwork for modern democratic thought, emphasizing that power should derive from the consent of the governed rather than from tradition or supernatural justification. This shift in perspective was fundamental in challenging the established order and contributed to revolutionary movements across the globe.