The Age of Enlightenment

Hard on the heels of the Renaissance came the Enlightenment, a triumph of reason and empirical methods. There were three characteristic philosophies: deism, which accepts the existence of a creator, but one that no longer interferes with the Universe; liberalism, which believes in human rights and freedom; and republicanism, which holds that a nation should be governed as a republic with an emphasis on liberty. These were the ideals of the time, and they show through every aspect of eighteenth-century culture.