The cultural impact of the Age of Enlightenment on Western thought was profound, encouraging new ways of thinking about humanity, society, and governance. Enlightenment thinkers promoted reason, scientific inquiry, and skepticism of traditional authority, challenging existing social and religious norms. This intellectual movement laid the groundwork for modern democracy, human rights, and individual liberties, emphasizing the importance of human rationality and ethical governance. Key ideas of individual freedom, secularism, and the separation of powers were influential in shaping political revolutions, including the American and French Revolutions, and continue to resonate in contemporary thought and society.