Unit 5.1: The Enlightenment

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority, significantly influencing modern thought and democratic governance. It combined ideas of the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.

Francis Bacon

An English philosopher and statesman who is known for developing the scientific method and advocating for empirical and inductive reasoning.

Empiricism

A theory that states that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience and evidence gathered through observation and experimentation.

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher known for his social contract theory and the idea of an absolute sovereign, particularly expressed in his work "Leviathan”, and expressed that people were naturally wicked.

John Locke

English philosopher who argued against absolute monarchy and proposed the idea of natural rights, including life, liberty, and property, influencing democratic thought.

Nationalism

A political ideology that emphasizes the interests and culture of a particular nation, often advocating for national independence or self-governance.

Nation-State

A sovereign political entity characterized by a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter relations with other states.

Adam Smith

A Scottish philosopher who wrote the “Wealth of Nations”, argued for the idea of free trade, laissez-faire, law of competition, and law of supply and demand, and created the basis of capitalism.

Baron de Montesquieu

A French political philosopher known for his work "The Spirit of the Laws," which advocated for the separation of powers within government to prevent tyranny and promote liberty.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

A French philosopher influential in political theory, he wrote "The Social Contract," which argued that government should be based on the consent of the governed and emphasized the importance of popular sovereignty and general will.

Voltaire

A French writer and philosopher known for his advocacy of civil liberties, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.

Denis Diderot

A French philosopher and writer, best known for co-founding and editing the "Encyclopedia," which aimed to promote Enlightenment ideas and challenge traditional authority.

Deism

A philosophical belief that thinks a God exists but does not intervene in the universe. They reject organized religion and advocate for reason and observation of the natural world as the best means of understanding God.

Conservatism

A political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of tradition, established institutions, and gradual change, often resisting radical reforms.

Liberalism

A political ideology that emphasizes individual freedoms, equality, and a limited government, advocating for social progress and reform through democratic means.

Radicalism

A political ideology that seeks immediate and fundamental change to the social, economic, or political order, often advocating for the use of extreme measures like voting rights for all men.

Socialism

A political and economic system that advocates for collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, aiming to reduce inequality and provide for the welfare of all citizens.

Utopian Socialist

A movement seeking to create ideal societies through cooperative living and communal ownership, emphasizing equality and social harmony.

Charles Fourier

A French philosopher who planned model communities held together by love, not coercion. He proposed the establishment of utopian societies based on cooperative coexistence and the elimination of poverty.

Robert Owen

A Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of the cooperative movement. He advocated for workers' rights and established cooperative communities, promoting education and improved living conditions in Scotland and Indiana.

Olympe de Gouges

A French playwright and feminist who is best known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, advocating for women's rights and gender equality during the French Revolution.

Mary Wollstonecraft

An English writer and philosopher, she is best known for her work "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," which argues for women's education and advocates for women's equality in society.

Feminism

A social and political movement advocating for women's rights and equality, emphasizing issues like gender discrimination and reproductive rights.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

An American social activist, she played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement and co-organized the Seneca Falls Convention, advocating for women's rights and equality.

Lucretia Mott

An early American Quaker, abolitionist, and women's rights activist. She was instrumental in organizing the Seneca Falls Convention and advocating for gender equality and social reform.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848, it marked a significant turning point in the women's suffrage movement, where activists gathered to discuss and advocate for women's rights, including the Declaration of Sentiments.

Emmeline Pankhurst

A British political activist and leader of the women's suffrage movement in the UK, she founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and led militant campaigns to secure voting rights for women.

Abolitionism

A movement aimed at ending slavery and promoting the emancipation of enslaved people. These people advocated for the legal and moral imperative to free slaves and uphold the dignity of all individuals.

Olaudah Equiano

An African author and abolitionist who, after gaining his freedom, became a prominent campaigner against the transatlantic slave trade, sharing his experiences and advocating for the end of slavery through his autobiography.

William Wilberforce

A British politician and leading advocate for the abolition of the slave trade, he played a key role in the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Zionism

A nationalist and political movement that emerged in the late 19th century, advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, in response to widespread anti-Semitism and persecution.

Dreyfus Affair

A political scandal in France from the late 19th century, involving the wrongful conviction of Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason, which highlighted issues of anti-Semitism and divided French society.

Theodore Herzl

Austrian journalist and the primary founder of modern Zionism, he advocated for the establishment of a Jewish state and organized the first Zionist Congress in 1897.

World Zionist Organization

An international organization founded in 1897 to promote the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and support Jewish immigration and settlement.