Theory on NOW
Enlightenment came along, hugely informing the American revolutionaries as well as those across the pond (where the philosophical change originated). It disenchanted the cosmos and put reason at the top. Descartes, with I think therefore I am , disembodied us putting brain over body. Jefferson built the first university (UVA) with a debate hall at the center instead of the chapel (all European universities had the chapel as its center, as did Harvard, Yale and other American Universities if I remember right from the tour). This brought about a way to engage with the world and each other built on reasoned debate and neutrality. With it came scientific revolutions, industrial revolutions, the death of the monarchy, etc. With it also came colonialism. These paradigms or epochs of thought shift more slowly than they seem and unless they truly explain the world in a thorough way, they are open to replacement. There were significant gaps in the Enlightenment understanding, despite all i