Age+of+Enlightenment+Background+Info

"The **Age of Enlightenment** (or simply the **Enlightenment** or **Age of Reason**) was an elite [|cultural movement] of intellectuals in 18th century [|Europe], that sought to mobilize the power of [|reason] , in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted science and intellectual interchange and opposed superstition [|[1]] , intolerance and abuses in church and state. Originating about 1650–1700, it was sparked by philosophers [|Baruch Spinoza] (1632–1677), [|John Locke] (1632–1704), [|Pierre Bayle] (1647–1706), mathematician [|Isaac Newton] (1643–1727) and historian [|Voltaire] (1694–1778). Ruling princes often endorsed and fostered figures and even attempted to apply their ideas of government in what was known as [|Enlightened Despotism]. The Enlightenment flourished until about 1790–1800, after which the emphasis on reason gave way to [|Romanticism] 's emphasis on emotion and a [|Counter-Enlightenment] gained force."



source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment