The primary focus of the Enlightenment era was to promote reason, individualism, and skepticism towards traditional authority. Emerging in the 17th and 18th centuries, Enlightenment thinkers emphasized scientific inquiry, rational thought, and the importance of human rights. Philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau challenged established norms and advocated for political reform, education, and equality. This intellectual movement laid the groundwork for significant political revolutions, including the American and French Revolutions, and profoundly influenced modern democratic thought.