unit 4 -Scientific, Philosophical, & Political Developments

Enlightenment

• philosophical movement

• 17th and 18th centuries

• reason, science, individualism

• rejects traditional institutions

John Locke

• emphasized individual rights & freedoms

• government should be built on a mutual agreement w/ governed

• Two Treatises of Government

Voltaire

• french philospher

• freedom of speech

• religious tolerance

• criticized french monarchy & church

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• swiss philosopher

• individual freedom

• social contract between individuals & society

Laws of Motion

3 laws proposed by Isaac Newton. They describe how objects move & interact with each other.

Scientific Method

• systematic & rational approach to experimentation

• emphasizes importance of logic

Rationalism

Reason and logic above all. True conclusions can only be derived via rationalism.

Social Contract

The idea that people agree to give up some freedoms & natural rights for security from a government.

Natural Rights

The belief that individuals have inherent rights that cannot be taken away. Life, liberty, and property.

Separation of Powers

The idea that government power should be divided by different branches to prevent corruption.

Laissez-Faire

Belief against government interference with the economy.

Adam Smith

• The Wealth of Nations

• free trade, laissez-faire, capitalism, “invisible hand”

Urbanization

• growth of cities

• people: rural areas → urban centers because of Agricultural Rev.

• terrible infrastructure, overcrowding, poor sanitation

Napoleon Bonaparte

• French military leader & emperor

• French Revolution

• Napoleonic Wars

• massive territorial expansion

Maria Theresa of Austria

• Queen of Hungary & Bohemia, enlightened absolutist

• Educational, agricultural, military reforms

• Centralized government

• Modernized economy

Joseph II of Austria

• Holy Roman Emperor, Enlightened absolutist

• co-ruled Austria w/ mom (Maria Theresa)

• reformer, ie. abolishing serfdom, religious toleration & legal system

Frederick William I of Prussia

• king of Prussia (1713-1740)

• military reforms

• expanded army

• mandated education

Frederick William II (The Great) or Prussia

• enlightened absolutist (1740-1786)

• religious tolerance

• educational, agricultural, & legal reforms

Paracelsus

Theorized diseases were because of chemical imbalances and could be cured with chemicals in certain amounts.

Royal Society

• founded in 1660

• way for scientists to share ideas & discoveries

Deism / Clockmaker Theory

A religious theory of the Enlightenment that God created the universe but does not interfere; left it alone.

Skepticism

A philosophy of the Enlightenment that believes nothing is for certain and that everything should be questioned.

Rococo

An art style of the 18th century of ornate and decorative designs.

Neoclassicism

Another art style inspired by classical Greek and Roman art emphasizing order, balance, and simplicity.

Nicolaus Copernicus

• created the heliocentric theory

• heliocentric theory: the solar system orbits around the sun, not the earth

Empiricism

A philosophy which is founded on the belief that knowledge is derived from experiences.

Denis Diderot

• 1713-1784

• compiled the Encyclopedie

• all sorts of knowledge on various topics in one book = mass spread of info

Edict of Toleration

• decree signed by Joseph II of Austria in 1782

• allowed for religious freedom & more toleration in Austria

• protected Judaism, Protestantism, Greek Orthodoxy, etc

Mary Wortley Montagu

• English aristocrat (1689-1762)

• introduced variolation as an immunization against smallpox

• variolation = exposing someone to a disease in a minor way to develop immunity

Agricultural Revolution

• a revolution in Europe during 17th-18th centuries

• advances in planting, harvesting, maintenance, etc.

• solved many famines & malnutrition

• lowered the mortality rate

Scientific Revolution

• revolution of scientific knowledge in the 16th-18th centuries

• IE. heliocentric theory, telescope, scientific method, secularism, rationalism, skepticism