The enlightenment began to influence educated individuals by giving them the idea that they could think for themselves instead of being merely governed by laws and doctrines. People began to believe that the government was an essential villain that protected the general population as a whole. People …show more content…
They worked on bringing reason to the people as a common way of thought. They believed the general population should know about natural rights and use them to their advantage against government powers. This Age of Reason used philosophy and science to influence the change from belief that the gods controlled our future, to people controlling their own future. Rationalization and modernization became known when scientists came up with scientific evidence, due to studies done by individuals like Isaac Newton, that the universe could be studied and understood ( gravity, advanced mathematics, challenging higher status individuals,