The answer is the Age of Enlightenment, also referred to as just the Enlightenment. It was an intellectual movement that spread throughout Europe at the time, with England and France as some of its key players. During this period, the existing knowledge and suppositions were challenged by philosophers. Even the name itself is already contrast to the prior Dark Ages, when religion was the dominant influence on knowledge. This period was marked by scientific discoveries and radical ideas, many of which would later inspire the American and French Revolutions.
