The Age of Enlightenment occurred during a period in time where people recognized the crucial need for logic and reason. Accepting facts and truths declared by a monarch or priest was no longer acceptable. Instead the enlightenment pushed for people to develop their own thoughts and rationale for things they questioned.  The Age of Enlightenment also influenced thinkers to separate religion and ethics as it was determined that a person would truly be in control of their own thoughts and action once they eliminated the influences of outside forces and actually thought for themselves.

The Age of Enlightenment was also a movement to improve a persons quality of life. Benjamin Franklin believed that by abandoning the archaic traditions and cultures of the past would inevitably bring forth technological advancements and innovations that could solve social, political, economic, and environmental issues which in turn would educate the masses and allow even more people to become thinkers.