AP European History: Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Key Terms

A comprehensive vocabulary set covering the major figures, theories, and concepts of the Scientific Revolution and the European Enlightenment from AP European History Unit 4.

Scientific Revolution

The rapid advances in European scientific and mathematical thought based on a new philosophy of empiricism and a faith in progress that defined Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Geocentric Universe

An astronomical system (also known as the Ptolemaic system) representing a superseded description of the universe with the Earth at the center.

Heliocentric Universe

An astronomical model having or representing the Sun as the center, as in the accepted model of the solar system.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

A Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

A German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer of the 17th century scientific revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

An Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution and was placed under house arrest for his conflict with the Roman Catholic Church.

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

English mathematician and physicist remembered for developing the calculus and formulating his law of gravitation and three laws of motion.

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)

An anatomist, physician, and author of De humani corporis fabrica, often referred to as the founder of modern human anatomy.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

English thinker whose works helped define and popularize the scientific method; his form of inductive reasoning, known as empiricism, was based on experimental research rather than assumptions.

William Harvey (1578-1657)

Physician who discovered the circulation of blood and the role of the heart in propelling it, developing an accurate theory of how the heart and circulatory system operated.

Paracelsus (1493-1541)

A pioneer of the Renaissance 'medical revolution' who emphasized combining observation with received wisdom, credited as the 'father of toxicology.'

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

French philosopher and mathematician who wrote 'I think; therefore, I am' and argued in Discourse on Method that all assumptions must be proven using strict, orderly logical reasoning based on known facts.

Alchemy

The medieval forerunner of chemistry based on the supposed transformation of matter, concerned particularly with converting base metals into gold or finding a universal elixir.

Astrology

The study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.

Galen (130-210)

A prominent Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher in the Roman Empire.

Montesquieu

French social commentator and political thinker during the Age of Enlightenment whose work The Spirit of Laws popularized the separation of powers in government.

Cesare Baccaria

An Italian philosophe focused on legal reform who published 'On Crimes and Punishment', attacking torture and capital punishment while advocating for speedy trials and fair punishment.

John Locke

17th-century philosopher and political theorist regarded as the founder of British Empiricism, who contributed to modern theories of limited, liberal government and authored Two Treaties of Government.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Author of The Social Contract who argued against the divine right of monarchs to legislate, asserting that sovereign power belongs exclusively to the people.

Mary Wollstonecraft

English writer who advocated for women's equality and pressed for educational reforms in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

Olympe de Gouges

Feminist pioneer, writer, and supporter of the French Revolution who advocated for women's rights and authored The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791).

French Salon

A gathering place that played an integral role in the cultural and intellectual development of France as a center for social and intellectual exchange.

Adam Smith

An economist and philosopher who detailed the first system of political economy in The Wealth of Nations, considered the 'bible of capitalism.'

Physiocrats

18th-century French thinkers who opposed mercantilist trade restrictions, advocated for a limited government role in the economy, and maintained that all economic production derived from sound agriculture.

Deism

The belief in a rational God who created the universe and then allowed it to function without divine interference according to natural mechanisms, alongside belief in rewards and punishments after death for human actions.