The Enlightenment was in compliment to the Scientific Revolution. Where the Scientific Revolution catered to the "hard sciences" of math, chemistry, and physics, the Enlightenment brought about a major influx of people to the "soft sciences" of philosophy and social science. The major figures of the Enlightenment focused most of their work around the lives and social constructs of people.

The Enlightenment was in compliment to the Scientific Revolution. Where the Scientific Revolution catered to the "hard sciences" of math, chemistry, and physics, the Enlightenment brought about a major influx of people to the "soft sciences" of philosophy and social science. The major figures of the Enlightenment focused most of their work around the lives and social constructs of people.

Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the founding voices of the feminist movement. She argued that women were not naturally inferior to men and pushed to have men and women recognized as equals. A Vindication of the Rights of Women was published in 1792. Letters on the French Revolution was published in 1790 by Edmund Burke. "Ode on the Peace" was a poem published by Helen Maria Williams in 1801. The Theory of Moral Sentiments was published in 1759 by Adam Smith.

Calvin differed from Luther and the majority of the rest of the major Protestant reformers because he advocated for the inclusion of the church in the affairs of the state. Calvin believed that the church should be the primary factor in the makeup and decisions of a secular government. As Calvinism spread, this encouraged the rise of theocratic governments in England, Switzerland, and even the New World.

Calvin differed from Luther and the majority of the rest of the major Protestant reformers because he advocated for the inclusion of the church in the affairs of the state. Calvin believed that the church should be the primary factor in the makeup and decisions of a secular government. As Calvinism spread, this encouraged the rise of theocratic governments in England, Switzerland, and even the New World.

Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the founding voices of the feminist movement. She argued that women were not naturally inferior to men and pushed to have men and women recognized as equals. A Vindication of the Rights of Women was published in 1792. Letters on the French Revolution was published in 1790 by Edmund Burke. "Ode on the Peace" was a poem published by Helen Maria Williams in 1801. The Theory of Moral Sentiments was published in 1759 by Adam Smith.

Niccolo Machiavelli's 1513 treatise The Prince described how a ruler should maintain political power. Prior to Machiavelli, political theory typically described how rulers ought to rule based on specific moral and Christian principles. In The Prince, Machiavelli instead advocates for a more realistic mode of governance not restricted by such lofty concerns.

Quotation adapted from The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1513; trans. Mariott 1908)

Niccolo Machiavelli's 1513 treatise The Prince described how a ruler should maintain political power. Prior to Machiavelli, political theory typically described how rulers ought to rule based on specific moral and Christian principles. In The Prince, Machiavelli instead advocates for a more realistic mode of governance not restricted by such lofty concerns.

Quotation adapted from The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1513; trans. Mariott 1908)

The Book of the Courtier was published in 1528 by the Italian Renaissance writer Baldassare Castiglione. The book outlines the ideal qualities of a Renaissance man and was widely influential in European society. It was particularly influential in British society, where it came to define the correct behavior of a wealthy British gentleman.

After the creation of the Royal Society in London and the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, the two institutions began circulating scientific journals. This gave isolated academics and laypeople access to the newest scientific theories, research, experiments, and ideas, and was important for contributing to the spread of knowledge around Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.