Scientific Rev/Enlightenment

Golden Age of Islam

A period when Muslim scholars made major advances in science, medicine, math, and astronomy while preserving ancient knowledge.

Colonization

The process of one country establishing settlements and controlling land in another region.

Humanism

A Renaissance movement that focused on human potential, education, and critical thinking instead of only religion.

Geocentric Theory

The belief that Earth is the center of the universe.

Heliocentric Theory

The idea that the Sun is the center of the solar system and planets revolve around it.

Copernicus (Copernican Revolution)

Astronomer who proposed the heliocentric theory, changing how people understood the universe.

Spirit of Questioning

The willingness to challenge traditional beliefs and seek evidence through observation and reason.

Scientific Method

A process of asking questions, forming hypotheses, experimenting, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions.

Isaac Newton

Developed the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

Galileo Galilei

Used a telescope to support the heliocentric theory through observations.

Andreas Vesalius

Improved the study of human anatomy through dissections.

Francis Bacon

Promoted experimentation and observation as the best way to gain knowledge.

Johannes Kepler

Discovered that planets move in elliptical orbits.

Maria Sibylla Merian

Studied insects and documented metamorphosis through observation.

Absolutism

A system where a monarch has complete power.

State of Nature

The condition of humans before governments existed.

Social Contract

People give up some freedoms in exchange for government protection.

Natural Rights

Rights everyone is born with, including life, liberty, and property.

Liberty

The freedom to think and act without unnecessary government control.

Consent

The idea that government gets its power from the permission of the people.

Age of Reason

Another name for the Enlightenment because people emphasized logic and reason.

Hobbes

Believed people need a strong government to keep order.

Locke

Believed government should protect natural rights and can be replaced if it fails.

Voltaire

Supported freedom of speech and religion.

Montesquieu

Believed in separation of powers.

Wollstonecraft

Argued for equal education and rights for women.

Paine

Supported democracy and independence from unjust rulers.

Rousseau

Believed government should follow the will of the people.

Beccaria

Believed torture and cruel punishments should be abolished.