Scientific Revolution Vocab

Heliocentric

Based on the belief that the sun is at the center of the universe.

Scientific method

Careful, step-by-step process used to confirm findings and to prove or disprove a hypothesis.

Gravity

Force that pulls objects in Earth’s sphere to the center of Earth

Calculus

A branch of mathematics in which calculations are made using special symbolic notations, developed by Isaac Newton

Natural rights

Rights that belong to all humans from birth, such as life, liberty, and property

Natural law

Unchanging principle, discovered through reason, that governs human conduct

Social contract

An agreement by which people gave up their freedom to a powerful government in order to avoid chaos

Philosophe

French for “philosopher”; French thinker who desired reform in society during the Enlightenment

Salon

Informal social gathering at which writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas

Nicolaus Copernicus

Polish astronomer who concluded that the sun is at the center of the universe around which Earth and the other planets revolve. (Contradicted the religious belief that the Earth was at the center. He received no punishment, but his work was not published in print until after death)

Johannes Kepler

German astronomer whose discoveries expanded on Copernicus’s heliocentric universe. His research showed that the planets move in a particular orbit around the sun. His achievements included a correct description of how vision occurs, as well as how a telescope uses light.

Galileo Galilei

Italian astronomer and mathematician whose discoveries using a telescope supported the heliocentric universe theories of Copernicus. Discoveries challenged established scientific and religious thinking. An important contributor to the scientific method

Isaac Newton

One of the most important figures of the scientific revolution. An English mathematician and physicist. His three laws of motion form the basic principles of modern physics and led to the formulation of the universal law of gravity. His 1687 book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy is considered one of the most important works in modern science.

Rene Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. One of the first to abandon traditional methods of thought based on Aristotle’s teachings. Promoted a new science based on observation and experiments. “Father of modern philosophy”

Francis Bacon

Distinguished English philosopher, statesman, and lawyer. Many talents. Promoted rational thought. Held in high regard by philosophers and scientists in Europe/England

Robert Boyle

English-Irish philosopher and writer. Focused on chemistry, physics, and natural history. Work with pressurized law led to the development of Boyle’s Law, which describes the relationship between pressure and volume of gas. One of the founders of the Royal Society of London

Montesquieu

Wrote Persian Letters, which criticized the French government and social classes. In The Spirit of the Laws, he advanced the idea of separation of powers— a foundation of modern American democracy.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Swiss-born philosopher and writer whose works inspired leaders of the French revolution. Revolutionized thought in politics and ethics, had an impact on how parents educated their children, and even influenced people’s taste in music and other arts.

Thomas Hobbes

Influential English political philosopher, best known for his work Leviathan. In it, Hobbes strongly advocated that only a powerful government was capable of protecting society. Believed that people entered into social contract with their government to avoid the inevitable chaos and lawlessness of life in the “state of nature.” His philosophy was foundational for later thinkers of the Enlightenment.

John Locke

Prolific writer on political philosophy. Work strongly influenced the US Constitution + development of American government. Proposed that people are born with certain natural rights that cannot be taken away, including life, liberty, and property.