Answer :
Final answer:
Enlightenment thinkers aimed to apply rational reasoning to all human activities, transform government based on the social contract, and advocate for freedom, equality, and the rule of law, significantly influencing European and American political systems.
Explanation:
Before the Enlightenment, European society was dominated by traditional structures of power, including divine right monarchies and strict class systems. Enlightenment thinkers set out to challenge these old ideas and replace them with principles that emphasized reason, evidence, and individual rights. They advocated for the use of rational thinking in all aspects of life, proposing that governments should be based on the social contract rather than divine right, promoting ideas of freedom and equality before the law, and suggesting that laws should apply equally to the governed and the governors. Moreover, they pushed for the separation of church and state to avoid the religious conflicts that had plagued Europe for centuries. The Enlightenment also laid the groundwork for modern scientific inquiry, political representation, and economic systems designed to liberate society from feudal bonds.