The 18th century was filled with Enlightenment philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, each of whom contributed to the way our world thinks today. The Enlightenment pushed society to separate itself from ancient views of superstition and traditionalism and move to basing discoveries and concepts on reason and logic. Each of the brilliant minds contributed to the worldly movement. Their aim was to reform society by challenging ideas firmly rooted in faith, emphasizing reason and intelligence, and advancing knowledge through science and the arts. This sparked debate and completely reshaped our world's perception of the universe, questioned the existence of our world and what we needed to evolve towards. This mass circulation of thought would significantly influence historical events to come, such as the American and French Revolutions, whose foundations for government were influenced by thinkers such as Montesquieu and his idea of ​​the balance of power between the three branches of government, as well as Rousseau's idea of ​​the power of democracy and the consensus of the people. Three of these Enlightenment philosophers were John Locke, René Descartes, and Jean-Jacque Rousseau. Each of these men generally agreed that most human failures and suffering were the result of thoughtlessly following tradition and the superstition fed to them by leaders of church and state. They believed that humanity could improve greatly and that the Enlightenment values ​​of reason and humanity could achieve it. The first step was to free thought itself, escape the darkness of the past and reach the light of reason. René Descartes - the father of modern philosophy"If you want to be a true seeker of truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life l...... middle of paper ......ousseau nevertheless praised the ancient kingdom of Sparta for expelling the arts and sciences from the city walls. Interestingly, Rousseau discusses in this particular section a philosopher named Socrates as one of the few Athenian sages who recognized the corruption that the arts and sciences were bringing The second part was an in-depth examination of the arts and sciences, arguing that they arise from our vices. According to Rousseau, science does not contribute in any positive way to morality; it takes time from truly important activities, such as friends, charity and nationalism philosophical and scientific knowledge of topics such as the relationship of the mind to the body, the orbit of the planets, and the physical laws governing particles fail to really provide any guidance for making people more virtuous citizens.