Obani abakwaLumière?
I-Lumières (ngokwezwi nezwi ngesiNgisi: The Lights) kwakuyinhlangano yamasiko, yefilosofi, yezincwadi neyezobuhlakani eyaqala engxenyeni yesibili yekhulu le-17, eyaqala eNtshonalanga Yurophu futhi yasakazekela kulo lonke elaseYurophu. Yayihlanganisa izazi zefilosofi ezinjengoBaruch Spinoza, uDavid Hume, uJohn Locke, u-Edward Gibbon, uVoltaire, uJean-Jacques Rousseau, uDenis Diderot, uPierre Bayle no-Isaac Newton. Lolu shintsho lunethonya lwenguquko yesayensi eningizimu yeYurophu eyavela ngokuqondile ekuvuselelweni kweNtaliyane nabantu abanjengoGalileo Galilei. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi laqala ukusho iSiècle des Lumières, ngesiNgisi i-Age of Enlightenment. [Qaphela 1]  Amalungu ale nhlangano ayezibheka njengabantu abaphambili, futhi alwa nokushushiswa ngokwenkolo nangokwezombangazwe, elwa nalokho ayekubona njengokungenangqondo, ukuzikhethela, ukungaqondakali nokukholelwa ezeni kwamakhulu eminyaka adlule. Bachaza kabusha isifundo solwazi ukuze sihambisane nokuziphatha nobuhle besikhathi sabo. Imisebenzi yabo yaba nethonya elikhulu ekupheleni kwekhulu le-18 leminyaka, lapho kwakumenyezelwa khona i-American Declaration of Independence ne-French Revolution.  Lokhu kuvuselelwa ngokwengqondo nangokwesiko okwenziwa ukunyakaza kukaLumières, ngomqondo okuyiwonawona, kwakulinganiselwe eYurophu. Lemibono yayiqondwa kahle eYurophu, kodwa ngaphandle kwaseFrance umqondo "wokukhanyiselwa" ngokuvamile wawusho ukukhanya okuvela ngaphandle, kuyilapho eFrance wawusho ukukhanya okuvela ngaphakathi komuntu.  Ngokuvamile, ngokwesayensi nefilosofi, iNkathi YokuKhanyiselwa yayihlose ukunqoba kwesizathu phezu kokholo nezinkolelo; kwezombangazwe nakwezomnotho, ukunqoba kwezakhamuzi phezu kwezikhulu nabefundisi.