AP European History Chapter 16 Terms and Names

Natural Philosophy

An Early modern term for the study of the nature of the universe, its purpose, and how it functioned; it encompassed what we would call "science" today.

Aristotle

he thought that a motionless earth was fixed at the center of the universe and was encompassed by ten separate concentric crystal spheres.

Ptolemy

According to him, the planets moved in small circles, called epicycles, each of which moved in turn along a larger circle, or deferent.

Copernicus hypothesis

The idea that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe.

Brahe

Built the most sophisticated observatory of his day and created new tables of planetary motion, but because of limited mathematical faculty, continued to believe that the sun revolved around the earth.

Johannes Kepler

He united natural philosophy with mathematics, developed the field of optics, and invented an improved telescope but continued to believe in astrological principles.

Experimental Method

Pioneered by Galileo, that the proper way to explore the workings of the universe was through repeatable experiments rather than speculation.

Law of inertia

Motion, not rest, is the natural state of an object, and that an object continues in motion forever unless stopped by some external force.

Isaac Newton

Principia Mathematica; set forth the law of universal gravitation, synthesizing previous findings of motion and matter.

Law of Universal gravitation

All objects are attracted to one another and that the force of attraction is proportional to the objects' quantity of matter and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Francis Bacon

Advocated experimental method, formalizing theory of inductive reasoning known as empiricism.

Rene Descartes

Used deductive reasoning to formulate the theory of Cartesian dualism.

Empiricism

Theory of inductive reasoning that calls for acquiring evidence through observation and experimentation rather than deductive reason and speculation.

Royal Society

followers of Bacon who met weekly to conduct experiments and discuss the latest findings of scholars across Europe.

William Harvey

discovery of circulation of blood through veins and arteries.

Enlightenment

Introduced a new worldview based on the use of reason, the scientific method, and progress

Rationalism

A secular, critical way of thinking in which nothing was to be accepted on faith, and everything was to be submitted to reason.

Pierre Bayle

Critically examined the religious beliefs and persecutions of the past in his Historical and Critical Dictionary. He concluded that nothing can ever be known beyond all doubt, a view known as skepticism.

John Locke

Author of Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Argued that all ideas are derived from sensory experience and that the human mind is a blank slate at birth.

Philosophes

A group of French intellectuals who proclaimed that they were bringing the light of knowledge to their fellow humans in the Age of Enlightenment.

Montesquieu

wrote The Persian Letters and The Spirit of the Laws. Applied the critical method to the problem of government and developed a theory of the separation of powers.

Voltaire

A deist who believed that monarchy was the best form of government. A renowned French philosopher. He envisioned God as akin to a clockmaker who set the universe in motion.

Denis Diderot

created the encyclopedia. He wanted to "change the general way of thinking"

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Author of The Social Contract, which put forward concepts of the general will and sovereignty.

Adam Smith

wrote Wealth of Nations, he attacked the laws and regulations that prevented commerce from reaching its full capacity.

Immanuel Kant

published What is Enlightenment? Argued that if intellectuals were granted the freedom to exercise their reason publicly in print, enlightenment would almost surely follow.

Cesare Beccaria

Wrote On Crimes and Punishments. His plea for reform of the penal system that decried the use of torture, arbitrary imprisonment, and capital punishment, and advocated the prevention of crime over the reliance

Reading revolution

The transition in Europe from a society where literacy consisted of patriarchal and communal reading of religious texts to a society where literacy was common-place and reading material was broad and diverse.

Salon

Regular social gathering held by talented and rich Parisians in their homes, where philosophes and their followers met to discuss literature, science, and philosophy.

Rococo

Known for its soft pastels, ornate interiors, sentimental portraits and starry-eyed lovers protected by hovering cupids.

Public sphere

Space where the pubic came together to discuss important issues relating to society, economics, and politics.

Enlightened Absolutism

absolute monarchs who adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism, progress, and tolerance.

Frederick the Great

leader of Prussia. Supported religious and philosophical tolerance for all his subjects but did not free the serfs.

Cameralism

All elements of society should serve the monarch, and that, in turn, the state should use its resources and authority to increase the public good.

Maria Theresa

Austrian leader. Revamped the tax system and improved agricultural population.

Catherine the Great

Russian leader. Restricted torture and allowed limited religious toleration but refused to liberate the serfs.

Emelian Pugachev

Sparked a gigantic uprising of serfs in Russia. He issued orders abolishing serfdom, taxes, and army service. Was captured and executed.

Joseph II

Austrian leader. Abolished serfdom.

Haskalah

The Jewish Enlightenment of the second half of the 18 century.