With war, every country is afraid. They're afraid of possibly being ambushed, becoming in dept, and many other reasons. So by remaining neutral they can sit back and not have to worry about being attacked by any country that's fighting. But that's not always the case now and days. Hope I answered your question correctly.
The enlightenment was a group of people who believed in science above all and explains all.
The present is a time frame that is usually happening at the moment. For example, 1850 is the past, 2017 is the present, and 2037 is the future.
To conclude and restate your point