Enlightenment

1. Religion has changed from an explanation of life, accepted as fact, to an old theory in question.
The advancements in means of traveling have led to increased trade and expansion.
The scientific revolution has led to a much increased qualtiy of life.

2.  I feel that the most important and impacting thing on this list was the change from food shortages to food surplus.  The abundance of food led to the most important thing, free time.  People no longer needed to spend their whole lives looking and hunting for food.  People were now able to do other things with their time.  This also led to huge population growth.  People were able to think about life, leading to curiosity and reason.  They could also invent things like boats and art, leading to trade and a higher quality of life. 
   The surplus in food was the item on the list that made everything else possible.  As the qualtiy of life started to improve so did optimism and oppurtunity.  Philosophers and scientists emerged observing the world and asking questions.  Theories and methods evolved, explaining life, and replacing the religious explanation.  As trade and globalization started growing so did the expansion of horizons, explorers, and cultural diffusion.  Understanding of our world was improving, and soon we had the world we know today. 

3.  The Age of Enlightenment led to a much greater understanding of human kind and the world we occupy.  People were able to build off of eachother's ideas and observations to progress our understanding of life.  The new ideas and theories that drove the age of enlightenment allowed humans to have a higher quality of life.  New technologies and innovations gave way to better education, entertainment, and oppurtunity.  Population, trade, and optimism were growing.  All were a direct result of the Age of Enlightenment.

4. Denis Diderot created the Encyclopedia, which spread the ideas of Enlightenment.  In the encylopedia he supported religious toleration, and called upon society to be more tolerant and humane.  http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/12/the_bourgeoisie_egalitarianism.html This article says that Diderot was trying to change human nature through his encyclopedia.  The author says that it takes more than an encyclopedia to change human nature, it takes revolutions and guillotines.  He says that Diderot believed that for total equality to be achieved, the destruction of the middle class was more important than the abolition of religion or the elimination of aristocracy. 

5. I believe that an experience that has had a profound impact on making me the person I am today was the splitting of my parents.  This was a huge and very hard change in my life.  I had a really tough time during that time in my life, and I believe that it has made me a stronger person.  As Kanye said, "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger."  The divorce has changed just about every part of my life, the experiences I have had after the divorce are experiences I would have never had if my parents had stayed together.  Therefore, this experience/change has made me who I am today.  The toughest parts of the divorce were the most impactful, and they have made me who I am today.