What was the impact of the Enlightenment?

The Age of Enlightenment saw the rise of a group of thinkers and philosophers who sought to understand and explain the external world through scientific methods and reason. These thinkers sought to contribute to social progress and to answer questions of morality and common concern through independent thought that did not rely on received tradition and dogma. The impact of this period can be observed in the following ways:

(1) In government, in ideas such...

The Age of Enlightenment saw the rise of a group of thinkers and philosophers who sought to understand and explain the external world through scientific methods and reason. These thinkers sought to contribute to social progress and to answer questions of morality and common concern through independent thought that did not rely on received tradition and dogma. The impact of this period can be observed in the following ways:

(1) In government, in ideas such as the separation of powers and the rights of personal liberty and public representation;

(2) In the development of empirically grounded scientific practices that replaced traditional Aristotelian ideas on the natural world;

(3) In economics, in ideas of free markets and trade. Adam Smith’s ideas, particularly, had a significant influence on the development of modern capitalism.

Many of the ideas developed during the Age of Enlightenment came to affect major historic events such as the French and American revolutions.