Renaissance & Scientific Revolution Test Review

Flashcards for Renaissance & Scientific Revolution Test Review

Renaissance

Rebirth of Greco-Roman civilization after the Dark Ages, stimulating the beginning of the modern age.

Bubonic Plague

Killed one third/two thirds of Europe, indiscriminately affecting class, region, and religion, shaking confidence in religion.

Johannes Gutenberg

Invented the printing press to spread literature (knowledge) faster and wider.

Medici

Wealthy Florentine family that funded arts and held positions as merchants, bankers, rulers of Florence, German and English royalty, and popes.

Patronage

Support given by a patron.

Classicism

High regard for Greco-Roman civilization, considering it a standard to emulate.

Philology

Study of ancient dead language texts (Greek, Latin, Hebrew) with the goal to read classics in their original language to avoid loss in translation.

Erasmus

Created the most accurate Latin translation of the Bible by examining Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.

Vernacular

Local language and dialect, accessible to the masses, aimed at popularity.

David (Michelangelo)

Michelangelo's statue that portrays youthful strength and beauty.

Humanism

Man/earth-centered perspective that emphasizes the life lived now.

Secularism

Free from religious or spiritual qualities.

Realism

Accurate depiction of how things are, not idealistic about how they ought to be.

Perspective

Receding straight lines indicate depth to vanishing point.

Vanishing Point

Single point where perspective lines meet.

Individualism

Each person is unique, thinks, and acts independently.

Liberal Arts

Wide-ranging education to provide general knowledge and intellectual skill, not specialization.

Trivium

Grammar, logic, rhetoric (effective use of language).

Quadrivium

Math, music, geometry, astronomy.

Renaissance Man

Person who is well acquainted with all subjects and can offer an educated opinion on everything.

The Humanities

Subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history that had been taught in ancient Greek and Roman schools.

The Prince

Book written by Machiavelli, which explores methods rulers can use to maintain control.

Utopian

Any ideal society often with the implication that such a society is impractical.

Protestant Reformation

Marks the great split in Western Christianity during the sixteenth century (1500s).

Penance

Church sanctioned punishment.

Purgatory

Place where Christians go after they die but before they enter heaven.

Indulgence

An act that reduces time spent purging sins in purgatory.

Ninety-Five Theses

A traditional method of posting an academic dispute intended for further dialogue.

Sola Fide

"Faith alone," the first principle of Luther's theology.

Priesthood of All Believers

The most important aspect of Luther’s theology emphasizing that mankind needed no intermediate between god and the individual.

Epistemology

How we determine what is true, verifying traditional beliefs by collecting evidence afterward.

Presupposition

Truths assumed to be valid before verification (trust, tradition, and authority).

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to seek evidence compatible with current beliefs.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

People with low ability, experience, or knowledge overestimate themselves.

Cognitive Dissonance

Confronting evidence that contradicts cherished beliefs, causing discomfort or tension while holding incompatible beliefs.

Geocentric Universe

Earth is at the center of the universe.

First Mover

What causes motion as motion is unnatural without it.

Elliptical Orbits

Imperfectly circular orbits around the sun.

Empiricism

Truth verified by observation (reliance on experience and measurement).

Objectivity

Elimination of bias or preconceptions to study things as they exist.

Replication

Repeated observation necessary to confirm theories (experimentation).

Skepticism

Question everything; accept nothing until proved. Doubt in order to know better (not for the sake of doubting).

Ghost in the Machine

Mind-body dualism (soul inhabits and drives physical body).

Classical Physics

All motion proceeds with mathematical uniformity.

Gravity

Force that keeps the planets in their orbits around the sun.

The Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emerging from scientific revolution.

Rationalism

Reason (not faith and tradition) is the best method to understand revolution.

Naturalism

Emphasize material world (not the supernatural/spiritual).

Natural Rights

Mankind has the right to life, liberty, pursuit of property and happiness.

Mechanistic View

The universe and human body are simply complex machines that can be understood with improved knowledge.

Humanitarianism

Relieve suffering (slavery, war, oppression, etc.) for all humans. Treat all humans with dignity and offer help because they are fellow humans.

Golden Rule

Treat others how you want to be treated.

Deism

Rational religion in which God is the divine clockmaker who wound up the universe and left it alone.