The Age of Enlightenment was preceded by and closely associated with the Scientific Revolution. Earlier philosophers whose work influenced the Enlightenment included Francis Bacon and René Descartes. Some of the major

 ...

René Descartes' rationalist philosophy laid the foundation for enlightenment thinking. His attempt to construct the sciences on a secure metaphysical foundation was not as successful as his

 ...

Science played an important role in Enlightenment discourse and thought. Many Enlightenment writers and thinkers had backgrounds in the

 ...

The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture. The Enlightenment brought political modernizationto the West, in terms of introducing democratic values and institutions and the

 ...

Enlightenment era religious commentary was a response to the preceding century of religious conflict in Europe, especially the Thirty Years' War. Theologians of the Enlightenment wanted to

 ...

The Enlightenment took hold in most European countries, often with a specific local emphasis. For example, in France it became associated with

 ...

Hume and other Scottish Enlightenment thinkers developed a "science of man", which was expressed historically in works by authors including

 ...