Page "History of France" Paragraph 170

In the early part of the 18th century the movement was dominated by Voltaire and Montesquieu, but the movement grew in momentum as the century moved on.

Overall the philosophers were inspired by the thoughts of René Descartes, the skepticism of the Libertins and the popularization of science by Bernard de Fontenelle.

Sectarian dissensions within the church, the gradual weakening of the absolute monarch and the numerous wars of Louis XIV allowed their influence to spread.

Between 1748 and 1751 the Philosophes reached their most influential period, as Montesquieu published Spirit of Laws ( 1748 ) and Jean Jacques Rousseau published Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences ( 1750 ).