I think one of the aspects to all this I find most interesting is how empowered the masses can very suddenly become.

During the first Enlightenment there was definitely ingenuity and progress made by common folk with boots on the ground, but the wealthy still had, more or less, exclusive access to higher education, so a lot (probably most) of the ability for commoners to contribute was stifled almost indefinitely.

Today, with everyone, everywhere having full access to the entirety of human knowledge, people who could hardly tinker before can access a top tier education, not only on the topic of interest, but everything it’s entwined with.

I’m not sure if we’ve had a bonafide “Age of Ideas” yet, but I think we’re about to.