In the 18th century the Enlightenment was unquestionably one of the liveliest periods in Western intellectual history. There was a belief in natural order and confidence that human reason could overcome any obstacle. Included are its most famous exponents – Rousseau, Voltaire, Descartes, Mozart and Newton. It also marked a turning point is religious dogma, superstition and unbridled despotism and embraced rational and empirical approaches to social organisation, the arts, economics, education, government and science.