Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Overview

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment period.

natural philosophy

An early modern term for the study of the universe's nature, purpose, and function; it encompassed what we now call science.

Copernican hypothesis

The idea that the sun is the center of the universe, vastly altering scientific and religious perspectives.

law of inertia

Hypothesized by Galileo, it states that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

law of universal gravitation

Newton's law stating that all objects attract each other, with the attraction force proportional to their mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance ($F \propto \frac{m<em>1 m</em>2}{r^2}$).

Cartesian dualism

Descartes's philosophy that reality can be divided into mind and matter.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement of the late $17^{th}$ and $18^{th}$ centuries advocating the use of reason, scientific method, and progress.

rationalism

A critical thinking approach where beliefs are tested against reason rather than accepted on faith.

sensationalism

The theory that human thoughts are a result of sensory impressions, as proposed by Locke.

philosophes

French intellectuals during the Enlightenment who sought to disseminate knowledge and ideas.

deism

Belief in a distant, non-intervening deity; prominent among Enlightenment thinkers.

salon

Social gatherings in $18^{th}$-century Paris where intellectuals discussed ideas, often hosted by women.

rococo

An $18^{th}$-century artistic style characterized by soft pastels, ornate designs, and romantic themes.

public sphere

An idealized space where intellectual discourse occurred among citizens during the Enlightenment.

enlightened absolutism

Monarchical rule that adopts Enlightenment ideals while maintaining absolute power.

cameralism

The view that monarchy serves the public good and should use its authority to enhance societal welfare.

Haskalah

The Jewish Enlightenment movement led by Moses Mendelssohn in the late $18^{th}$ century.

Seven Years’ War

A worldwide conflict between Britain and France which influenced the global balance of power.

Catherine the Great of Russia

Empress of Russia from $1762$ to $1796$, known for her enlightened reforms and cultural initiatives.

Denis Diderot

Editor of the 'Encyclopedia', which aimed to summarize and categorize knowledge of the Enlightenment.

Joseph II of Austria

Holy Roman Emperor known for his extensive, albeit controversial, reforms aimed at modernizing the Habsburg Empire.

Moses Mendelssohn

A major philosopher of the Haskalah, advocating for Jewish emancipation.

Madrasas

Formal colleges in the Islamic world for advanced learning, including secular subjects.

Tycho Brahe

Astronomer known for his accurate observations of planetary motions.

Johannes Kepler

Mathematician and astronomer who formulated laws of planetary motion based on Brahe's data.

Rene Descartes

Philosopher famous for his work on Cartesian dualism and the statement 'I think, therefore I am'.

Sir Isaac Newton

Scientist who formulated the law of universal gravitation and published 'Principia Mathematica'.

Carl Linnaeus

Swedish botanist known as the 'father of modern taxonomy' for developing binomial nomenclature.

Francis Bacon

Philosopher who advocated for the scientific method and empirical research.

Pierre Bayle

Philosopher known for his 'Historical and Critical Dictionary' contributing to Enlightenment thought.

Baruch Spinoza

Early Enlightenment thinker excommunicated for his deterministic view of the universe.

John Locke

Philosopher known for his ideas on government, tabula rasa, and individual rights.

Baron de Montesquieu

Political philosopher known for the theory of separation of powers.

Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire)

Enlightenment writer and philosopher known for his criticism of the Church and advocacy of civil liberties.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher known for 'The Social Contract' and ideas on democracy and the general will.

David Hume

Central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, known for his empirical approach to knowledge.

Empiricism

A theory of inductive reasoning that calls for acquiring evidence through observation and experimentation rather than deductive reason and speculation.

Heliocentrism

The astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center of the solar system.

Scientific Revolution

The period of great advances in the sciences, roughly from $1500$ to $1700$, that laid the foundations of modern science.

Frederick the Great (Frederick II)

The King of Prussia from $1740$ to $1786$ who embraced enlightened absolutism, reforming the legal system and bureaucracy.

Maria Theresa

The Archduchess of Austria who introduced administrative and educational reforms to centralize and strengthen the Habsburg state.

Separation of Powers

The Enlightenment idea, primarily from Montesquieu, that political authority should be divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Social Contract

An agreement by which people define and limit their individual rights, thus creating an organized society or government.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's philosophy that the human mind is a blank slate at birth, with all knowledge coming from sensory experience.

Encyclopedia

A large-scale reference work edited by Denis Diderot designed to summarize knowledge and spread Enlightenment ideas.