The Age of Enlightenment…

[Silverobama]

The following paragraph is from an online website. I want to keep it for future reference but I was told that it wasn't edited and was badly written before it was posted on that website. Could you please help me with some corrections?

The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural and very complex movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe, that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange, common goals of progress, tolerance and opposed intolerance and abuses in Church and state.

 

[emsr2d2]

Who told you it hadn't been edited and was badly written? What did they say was wrong with it?

For info, "online website" is tautologous. There are no offline websites. Say that you found it online or on a website, but not both.

 

[Silverobama]

Who told you it hadn't been edited and was badly written? What did they say was wrong with it?

For info, "online website" is tautologous. There are no offline websites. Say that you found it online or on a website, but not both.

I asked a specific question about the phrase "elite cultural" on WR because I thought (I still think) the paragraph was/is okay, but those contributors say that it's not good. Here are some of my questions about this short paragraph:

The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural and very complex movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe, that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange, common goals of progress, tolerance and opposed intolerance and abuses in Church and state.

a) I think the phrase "elite cultural and very complex movement" is not good.
b) I think "18th century Europe" should be "18-century Europe".
c) I think the comma after "18th century Europe" isn't needed.

I also don't know if the words and phrases the writer used are good.

 

[teechar]

a) I think the phrase "elite cultural and very complex movement" is not good.

I don't see anything wrong with it.

b) I think "18th century Europe" should be "18-century Europe".

Again, I disagree.

c) I think the comma after "18th century Europe" isn't needed.

Yes, that's true, but it's a minor point.

I also don't know if the words and phrases the writer used are good.

There's nothing wrong with the phrasing. The only other change I would make is put "and" before "tolerance".

 

[jutfrank]

The whole page seems to me very well written.