This class was unaffected by the Enlightenment...

This class was unaffected by the Enlightenment...

• A. Nobles
• B. Lower class and peasants
• C. Bourgeoisie
• D. Clergy

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that the Enlightenment challenged traditional authority, especially the Church, but the clergy as a social group tended to remain within the bounds of religious tradition and church control. They held the institutional power of worship, education, and moral authority, and those structures provided continuity even as secular ideas questioned religious doctrines. Because the clergy relied on established religious and institutional networks, they were less exposed to, and slower to adopt, the sweeping secular and rationalist ideas that characterized the Enlightenment. Other classes—nobility, merchants, or peasants—were more directly involved in political, economic, or social shifts spurred by Enlightenment thinking, whereas the clergy often acted to preserve religious authority rather than reform it from within. This combination of institutional power and conservative posture is why they are considered unaffected in this context.

The main idea is that the Enlightenment challenged traditional authority, especially the Church, but the clergy as a social group tended to remain within the bounds of religious tradition and church control. They held the institutional power of worship, education, and moral authority, and those structures provided continuity even as secular ideas questioned religious doctrines. Because the clergy relied on established religious and institutional networks, they were less exposed to, and slower to adopt, the sweeping secular and rationalist ideas that characterized the Enlightenment. Other classes—nobility, merchants, or peasants—were more directly involved in political, economic, or social shifts spurred by Enlightenment thinking, whereas the clergy often acted to preserve religious authority rather than reform it from within. This combination of institutional power and conservative posture is why they are considered unaffected in this context.