The Beginnings of Social Theory: Smith, Locke, and Hegel

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the concepts introduced in the lecture on social theory, featuring key philosophers and ideas.

Scientific Revolution

A period in the 15th and 16th centuries that developed new tools for empirical investigation of the world.

Ptolemaic Astronomy

The geocentric model of the universe promoted by Claudius Ptolemy, supported by the Catholic Church.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 1700s emphasizing reason and individualism over tradition.

Rene Descartes

A French philosopher known for the work 'Discourse on Method,' advocating systematic skepticism.

Immanuel Kant

A philosopher who defined Enlightenment as 'man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity'.

Condorcet's Perfectibility of Man

The idea that human faculties can improve indefinitely, with progress contingent on the existence of the globe.

Free Markets

An economic system where prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses.

Division of Labor

The separation of tasks in a manufacturing process to improve efficiency.

John Locke

An English philosopher who is considered the father of British Empiricism and natural rights.

Natural Rights

Rights that individuals have under natural law, argued to be inherent and not granted by any authority.

Private Property

Property that is owned by individuals or organizations, as articulated by Locke's theories.

The Master/Slave Dialectic

A philosophical concept by Hegel describing the relationship of recognition and struggle between two consciousnesses.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

A German philosopher known for his contributions to political philosophy and epistemology.

Phenomenology of Spirit

A work by Hegel detailing the development of consciousness and freedom.

The Spread of Freedom

Hegel’s concept that freedom has evolved through historical processes, including the ancient world, Greek city-states, and religious movements.