What was the counterpart to the enlightment in the study of the physical world?

Question

Many enlightment philosophers attempted to explain the purpose of government..

Answer 1

The Enlightenment had a firm foundation in the classical physics developed primarily by Sir Issac Newton. Newton showed that the universe operated by definite laws and processes. The Catholic Church made an error in challenging science. Newton himself was a Christian. But the reaction of the Church helped encourage a general philosophical skepticism to religion.

The Enlightenment's strong dependence on logic and empiricism led it to be challenged by Romanticism in the 19th century.

In fairness to the Enlightenment it did have a valid premise in that if the universe followed rational laws, then government could be established on a logical basis, as well. This meant no divine right of kings.