Modern European learning introduced by the Portuguese-Spanish Catholics and the Dutch Protestants to Indonesian native educational institutions in the 20th century influenced the definition of the word Budi. In this intellectual period, Budi is re-defined and re-interpreted not as spiritual as understood before, but as human entity. In 1961, for example, Nicolas Drijarkara defined Budi as ethical reason or moral reason as understood by the moralist Immanuel Kant.
The modern European educational approach, brought by Portuguese-Spanish Catholics and Dutch Protestants to Indonesian schools in the 20th century, reshaped the concept of Budi. In this era, Budi was reimagined as a human being, rather than just a spiritual entity. For instance, Nicolas Drijarkara redefined Budi as moral or ethical reasoning in his 1961 work, echoing Immanuel Kant's philosophical perspective.