The cultural impact of the Age of Enlightenment on Western Europe was profound, fostering ideals of reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. It encouraged critical thinking and inspired a wave of intellectual movements that questioned established norms in politics, religion, and society. Philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke promoted concepts of democracy, human rights, and social contracts, laying the groundwork for revolutions, including the American and French revolutions. This era significantly shaped modern Western thought, ushering in advances in science, philosophy, and art, influencing contemporary values of tolerance and progress.