Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment Vocabulary

Scientific Revolution

A period from the 16th to 17th centuries when developments in technology, science, and mathematics changed the way in which Europeans viewed the natural world

Geocentrism

The idea that the Earth is the center of the universe and all celestial objects rotate around it

Heliocentrism

The belief that all objects in the Solar System, including Earth, revolve around the Sun

The Scientific Method

a systematic process of making an observation, forming a hypothesis, and proving and disproving it through experimentation

Absolutism

A political theory in which the ruler, usually a monarch, has absolute authority over the state and its subjects

Despot

An absolute ruler who often uses tyranny and oppression to control the state and its subjects

The Enlightenment

A cultural and philosophical movement in the 18th century that focused on reason and individualism

Philosophe

An Enlightenment intellectual who applied reason and the Scientific Method to examine society, political systems, religion, economics, and culture

Natural Rights

The inherent rights of an individual that are independent of the state or government

Social Contract

The belief that individuals collectively agree to form a government/state by giving up some of their individual freedoms

Salon

A place, usually in a private home, where Enlightenment intellectuals, artists, and politicians met in order to exchange ideas and debate

Enlightened Despot

A ruler who tried to govern according to Enlightenment ideas while maintaining absolutism

Popular Sovereignty

The belief that source of legitimate governing power is derived from the consent of the govern, i.e., the people