Simplify the following text for a Grade 12 native English-speaking person.
Original: The early modern period was characterized by profound changes in many realms of human endeavor . Among the most important include the development of science as a formalized practice , increasingly rapid technological progress , and the establishment of secularized civic politics , law courts and the nation state .
Simplified: The early modern period is characterized by the rise to importance of science and technological progress , civic politics and the nation state .