<philosophical terminology> the enlightenment belief that proper employment of reason will result in the full achievement of human potential. To various degrees, this optimistic supposition was held by Godwin, Rousseau, Saint-Simon, Kant, Hegel, Comte and Marx. Recommended Reading: John Arthur Passmore, The Perfectibility of Man (Liberty Fund, 2000) and Virginia L. Muller, The Idea of Perfectibility (Univ. Pr. of Am., 1986).
[A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names]
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