Enlightenment & Scientific Revolution

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing key definitions, scientists, and philosophers of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment based on the provided study guide.

Geocentric Theory

The belief that Earth was the center of the universe.

Scientific Revolution

A new way of studying the natural world using observation, experimentation, logic, and reason.

Scientific Method

A step-by-step process used to study the natural world.

Heliocentric Theory

The idea that planets orbit the sun.

Enlightenment

A period of new thinking that emphasized reason, logic, progress, and solving problems.

Social Contract

The idea that people give up some freedoms for protection and stability.

Natural Rights

Rights people naturally possess, such as life, liberty, and property.

Separation of Powers

Dividing government powers among different parts of government.

Checks and Balances

A system that prevents one part of government from having too much power.

Salons

Social gatherings where Enlightenment ideas were discussed and spread.

Secular Outlook

An approach characterized by questioning religious authority and Church power.

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that people should have power in government.

Copernicus

The astronomer who proposed the Heliocentric Theory.

Galileo

The scientist who used new tools and observations to support the Heliocentric Theory, conflicted with the Church, was placed under house arrest, and was formally acknowledged as right by the Church in 1992.

Isaac Newton

The scientist who developed the law of universal gravitation.

Voltaire

An Enlightenment thinker who supported tolerance and freedom of speech and religion.

Montesquieu

An Enlightenment thinker who supported separation of powers and checks and balances.

Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker who supported freedom and popular sovereignty.

Beccaria

An Enlightenment thinker who supported fair laws and trials and opposed torture and cruel punishment.

Mary Wollstonecraft

An Enlightenment thinker who supported women's education and equality.

Thomas Hobbes

A philosopher who viewed human nature as naturally selfish and violent, prioritized order, and supported strong government and absolute monarchy.

John Locke

A philosopher who viewed people as reasonable, prioritized natural rights, and supported self-government and limited government.

Five Core Enlightenment Beliefs

The five central principles of Enlightenment thinking: reason, nature, happiness, progress, and liberty.

Reason (Enlightenment Idea)

The core belief that truth is discovered through logic.

Progress (Enlightenment Idea)

The core belief that society can improve.

Liberty (Enlightenment Idea)

The core belief that people deserve rights and freedom.