Answer :
Final answer:
Before the Enlightenment, religious authorities and monarchs dominated European intellectual life. Significant knowledge influence also came from the Islamic world, ancient Greek thinkers, and medieval Arabic, Indian, and Persian scholars. The advent of Enlightenment marked a shift from unquestioned religious and monarchic rule to an emphasis on reason and scientific thought.
Explanation:
Prior to the Enlightenment, a period marked by exponential growth in scientific thought and challenge to religious and political structures, the intellectual life in Europe was largely dominated by religious entities and monarchies. Religious authorities and monarchs dictated society's worldview, reinforcing traditional laws, political systems, and religious teachings with almost unquestionable authority. This authority often gave a divine justification for social hierarchies and explained the nature of the cosmos.
Simultaneously, European intellectual life was influenced by ideas and discoveries from outside Europe. The Islamic world, for example, had a remarkable impact on European intellectual activity. Scholars in Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled area of Spain and Portugal, preserved and translated crucial works of ancient thinkers, fueling the European and Italian Renaissances and eventually, facilitating the Enlightenment. In addition to ancient Greek knowledge, contributions from medieval Arabic, Persian, and Indian scholars aided European advancements in fields like mathematics, medicine, and astronomy.
By the 18th century, traditional structures were challenged; the power of reason dominated thought, and Enlightenment ideals spread throughout societies, majorly amongst the literate elites. This period of intellectual innovation, known as the Enlightenment, marked a major turning point in Western civilization and paved the way towards modernization.
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