Final answer:
Influential thinkers such as Enlightenment philosophers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre have deeply affected the Western perspective on the human condition, each contributing to the evolution of thought regarding human autonomy, reason, and the self.
Step-by-step explanation:
Throughout history, influential thinkers such as Enlightenment philosophers, theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas, and existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre have presented reflections on the human condition that profoundly changed perspectives in the Western world. The Enlightenment, a key period often dated from 1685 to 1815, was instrumental in promoting rationalism and scientism, steering societies away from rigid religiosity and into an age of reason and empirical study. Aquinas' work, on the other hand, merged Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, influencing the Christian perspective on soul and identity profoundly during the medieval period. Moving forward, existentialism further evolved the view on human autonomy and freedom, with Sartre and others questioning the essence of human existence and our place in the world. These philosophical movements and the thinkers behind them helped shape the Western understanding of the individual's role in society and the universe at large.