Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia engages with the ideals of the Enlightenment, an 18th-century Western intellectual movement that emphasized reason, science, and rationality as pathways to understanding and improving the human condition. The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was characterized by a belief in the power of human reason to challenge tradition and authority and to promote progress through knowledge and intellectual discourse.

The Enlightenment prioritized empirical evidence and scientific inquiry over “superstition” and religious dogma. Instead, Enlightenment thinkers sought to apply scientific methods to the study of society and human behavior, leading to advancements in political theory, economics, and ethics. Thinkers of this period, such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Immanuel Kant, argued for the application of reason to all aspects of life, advocating for education, individual liberty, and the separation of church and state. The period saw the rise of the public sphere, where ideas could be debated openly in salons, coffeehouses, and through print culture, all of which fostered an environment where intellectual exchange could flourish.

In the novel, Johnson explores these Enlightenment ideals by portraying Prince Rasselas and his companions engaging in The Philosophical Exploration of Happiness and Its Attainability.