The Age of Enlightenment promoted the studies of math and science to benefit society in technological ways. Many new inventions and improvements were made in this time period to benefit everyday life. To accompany these improvements, the belief and faith of religion was also challenged in many ways. New ways of thinking, such as the Heliocentric theory, were unheard of. The new age of science versus religion is portrayed in most paintings through the glowing effect of an object. In this painting, that object is an air pump which was invented by a German physicist in the 17th century.

People were scared of change, they denied the heliocentric theory and dismissed it as illogical. As seen inJoseph Wright's painting, all of the subjects are intentionally avoiding the light, the new age of knowledge which the children will grow up with. This is seen with one of the older gentlemen embraces them, trying to explain that this is going to change everything including the way they live and the way society lives.