Connects to the idea of Deism, in which the universe was created by God and then abandoned; no supernatural controls would be exerted and all things were explainable by reason
Enlightenment philosophy dictated that human reason was adequate o solve mankind's problems and correspondingly, much less faith was needed in the central role of God as an active force in the universe
Idea moved from Europe to become the New World's seed of culture, intellectualism, and society
Some important Enlightenment writers include John Locke (Principia Mathematica, 1687), Isaac Newton (Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1689), and Rene Descartes, whose basic tenet of philosophical theory existed in the phrase "I think, therefore, I am."