How did the Enlightenment encourage the study of human nature as well as the physical world?

During the Enlightenment, the study of the physical world and human nature was driven by a shift toward empiricism and the application of scientific methods to all areas of inquiry.12

The Physical World

The Enlightenment was profoundly influenced by the success of Isaac Newton, whose mechanistic system suggested that reason could successfully conquer and understand the natural world. This achievement kindled an immense enthusiasm for applying rational principles and mathematical analysis to nature, establishing a foundation for the scientific method that dominated 18th-century thought.3

Human Nature

Philosophers sought to extend this scientific success from the physical universe to the study of the human mind and society. Key developments included:12
* Epistemological Focus: Thinkers like John Locke shifted attention from the external world to the structure of the mind, arguing that knowledge originates in sense experience.14
* Experimental Reasoning: David Hume explicitly aimed to apply the methods of natural science to "moral subjects," treating human nature as a field for empirical observation.15
* Emergence of Social Sciences: This period laid the groundwork for psychology, economics, sociology, and ethics as specialized, systematic fields of inquiry.6