The course will deal with the main ideas of Enlightenment thought, discussing the theories of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Karl Marx. An emphasis will be placed on the great importance accorded in the Enlightenment to education and critical thinking. The political aspects of this thought, one of whose innovations was the demand that philosophy lead to the transformation of social reality, will also be highlighted. We will read in class excerpts from the following texts: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality among Men” and The Social Contract; Immanuel Kant, “An Answer to the Question, What Is Enlightenment?”; Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto.