The_ENLIGHTENMENT__Explained__AP_Euro_ReviewUnit_4_Topic_3_

Enlightenment

A European intellectual movement in the 18th century that applied new methods of rational thinking to social and human institutions.

Rationalism

The belief that everything in human life could and should be submitted to the process of reason.

Natural Rights

Rights that people have inherently by virtue of being human, such as life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

The theory that people consent to give up some of their freedoms to a government in exchange for protection of their natural rights.

Montesquieu

A French philosopher who argued for the separation of powers in government to avoid tyranny.

Voltaire

A prominent French Enlightenment writer known for critiquing social and religious institutions and advocating for freedom of expression.

Denis Diderot

A French philosopher and the editor of the Encyclopedia, which compiled Enlightenment thought.

Laissez-faire

An economic philosophy that opposes government intervention in the economy, allowing individuals to make their own economic choices.

Deism

The belief that there is a God who created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs.

Atheism

The belief that no God exists, rejecting the notion of a deity.

Pietism

A movement emphasizing personal religious experience over institutionalized religion.

Adam Smith

A Scottish philosopher who advocated for free market economics in his book, The Wealth of Nations.

John Locke

An Enlightenment thinker who argued that individuals have natural rights that are inalienable.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker who proposed that government authority is based on the consent of the governed.

The Spirit of the Law

Montesquieu's work arguing for the separation of powers in government.

Mary Wollstonecraft

An early advocate for women's rights who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

Coffee Houses

Venues where citizens gathered to discuss new ideas and developments in the Enlightenment.

Salons

Private gatherings where intellectuals discussed and debated ideas of the Enlightenment.