AP Topic 5.1: The Enlightenment Vocabulary

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and authority

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge comes from sensed experience, observation, and experimentation that spread across Europe

Philosophes

A new group of thinkers and writers who explored social, political, and economic theories in new ways. They prioritized reason, individualism, and skepticism toward tradition.

Social Contract

The exchange of people giving up some rights to a strong central government for law and order

Consent of the Governed

The idea that a government’s power comes from the permission or support of the people it governs.

Deism

The belief that a divinity – like God – simply sets natural laws in motion but does not intervene in human affairs

Liberalism

A 18th-19th century political and economic ideology emphasizing individual rights, limited government, and free markets

Conservativism

A belief in traditional institutions, favoring reliance on practical experience over ideological theories.

Nationalism

A feeling of intense loyalty to others who share one’s language and culture

Feminism

The emergence of the movement for women’s rights and equality based on Enlightenment ideas.

Abolitionism

The movement to end the Atlantic slave trade and free all enslaved people which gained followers in the 18th century

Zionism

The desire of Jews to reestablish an independent homeland where their ancestors had lived in the Middle East

Capitalism

An economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and are operated for profit.

Laissez-Faire

A French phrase for “leave alone” used by Adam Smith to advocate for the government to reduce their intervention in economic decisions.

Socialism

The economic and political theory refers to a system where the means of production are owned by the community or government rather than individuals

Utopianism

A feeling that society could be channeled in positive directions by setting up ideal communities based on equality, cooperation, and shared property.