European Enlightenment (Age of Reason, = 17th century) split the world in 2 parts: a western part in 'words' worshipping an Alexander the Great gifted with much (immaterial) 'spirit', and an eastern part remembering in feeling an extremely cruel Alexander the Terrible. The Western World with 'logic' around local prejudices (pure reason) as the primary basis of 'being cultural' (life = PURE REASON). 'Rational' law and order came from the 'rational' procedure 'analysis' of 'rationally' observed common sense facts. The Eastern World relies on physical rituals (life = common sense = BEHAVIOR).
1. The Founding Fathers of the United States heavily 'drugged' by Enlightenment-ideas like 'deism' (belief in Supreme Being) easily accepted slavery of ape-humans
2. European adventurers in Africa promoted the hunting down of men, women and children like beasts, and the burning down of complete villages to capture the inhabitants and sell them like cattle. Such slave traders presented Africans as murderous savages so that extremely brutal slavehunting and inhuman transportation to the Americas appeared as 'Christian concern' and 'enlightened' behavior. European 'Enlightenment' caused darkness in Africa.

Enlightenment made a religion of 'reason' (introduced 'understanding'), and promoted 'liberty', 'science', 'rationality' and 'divine' or 'natural law' (the catholic view of life).
Enlightenment resulted from the wish for individual profit (egoism) and tremendously expanded skill, but failed in ethics. Rationalism during Enlightenment was adopted by leading rulers and politicians, and thus weakened the authority of the Pope. In this way it broke down the defences of Catholicism. Especially those who frequented the universities were affected by the victory of rationality in Enlightenment. Everywhere throughout Europe, 'rationalism' conquered the centres of education.
In 1946 German social theorist Max Horkheimer traced ‘the collapse of a large part of the intellectual foundation of our civilisation’. back to the Enlightenment.