Europeans of the 17th century no longer lived in the "darkness" of the MIDDLE AGES. Ocean voyages had put them in touch with many world civilizations, and trade had created a prosperous middle class. The PROTESTANT REFORMATION encouraged free thinkers to question the practices of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, and the printing press spread the new ideas relatively quickly and easily. The time was ripe for the PHILOSOPHES, scholars who promoted democracy and justice through discussions of individual liberty and equality.
