The Age of Enlightenment was a period in the 18th century when changes in philosophy and cultural life took place in Europe. The movement began in France and spread to Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany around the same time, with ideas beginning with thinkers and philosophers the most renowned of the time and finally being shared with the people. . The Enlightenment was a way of thinking focused on improving humanity using logic and reason rather than irrationality and superstition. It was a way of thinking that demonstrated skepticism of religion, questioned the inequality between kings and their people, and attempted to establish a strong ethical system. The ideas behind the Enlightenment were shared through multiple media such as literature and art, and these ideas provided the framework for the American and French Revolutions, while giving rise to multiple genres of art such as rococo and neoclassical styles as well as romanticism. a style that went against the ideals of the Enlightenment. According to German philosopher Immanuel Kant, one of the reasons the Enlightenment arose was "primarily in religious matters because our rulers have no interest in playing the role of guardians of their subjects with regard to the arts and sciences." science”. and because this type of immaturity is the most harmful as well as the most dishonorable” (p. 63). He supported the free exercise of reason and, in doing so, opposed the Church's control over it, because the Church had an effect on what people were allowed to know. In opposition to the oppression of the people by the Church and the monarchy closely linked to the Church, Enlightenment values ​​focused on distancing religion...... middle of paper .... ..light and interpretation. New York, NY: WW Norton [and], 1977. Print. Hume, David, LA Selby-Bigge and PH Nidditch. A treatise on human nature. Oxford: Clarendon, 1978. Print. Schmidt, James. and Immanuel Kant. What is the Enlightenment?: 18th-century answers and 20th-century questions. Berkeley: University of California, 1996. 63. Print. Locke, John and Peter Laslett. Two treatises of government:. London: Cambridge UP, 1967. Print. Montesquieu, Charles De Secondat and Thomas Nugent. The Spirit of the Laws. New York, NY: Cosimo Classics, 2011. 9. Print. Stokstad, Marilyn and Michael Watt. Cothren. “22.” History of the arts. 4th ed. Flight. 2. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall/Pearson, 2011. 756. Print.Stokstad, Marilyn and Michael Watt. Cothren. “29.” History of the arts. 4th ed. Flight. 2. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall/Pearson, 2011. 944. Print.