The Age of Enlightenment opened doors to independent thought and development in areas such as mathematics, astronomy, politics, philosophy and many others. Towards the end of the Enlightenment, the Romantic Era was born and seemed to be a protest against the ideas that the Enlightenment had brought to society. Although both periods were established around more independent thought and growth, the Enlightenment and the Romantic era contrast significantly. These two periods differed in almost every aspect, including (but not limited to): their beliefs, the reasons for their creation, and the impacts they had on society. The contrast in beliefs between the Enlightenment and the Romantic era is intense. They have completely opposite beliefs on most things, not to mention their support for independent thinking and growth. In Life Magazine it was said: “There is no truth,” said the Enlightenment, “that cannot stand the test of reason.” The Age of Enlightenment was above all a question of meaning rather than sensitivity; people yearned to expand their knowledge with whatever they could. On the other hand, the Romantic era was very focused on the imaginative part of knowledge. Carol Ferguson, a professor at Richard Stockton College, states in one of her lectures: "Ordered and rational logic was gradually replaced by the breadth of imagination, the possibilities of intuition, the importance of emotions and the uniqueness of the imagination. individual". Romanticism allowed people to move away from the constraints of strictly "logical" Enlightenment thinking and focus on the emotional and imaginative side of learning. Thus, while both periods began by focusing about learning new things and advancing society in knowledge, they had middle of paper ...... and "extremes" on the spectrum of senses and sensitivity "Enlightenment." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online August 16, 2010. “LECTURE: THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE ROMANTIC ERA.” Lecture 16: The Romantic Era. » The Internet History Guide. « Romanticism ». September 1947: 75+ Internet.. 2010. .