Untitled Flashcards Set

astronomy

- The branch of science that deals with the study of celestial objects, the

universe, the heavens.

astrology

- A pseudoscience that attempts to predict events by the study of the

movement of stars and planets.

star charts

- These are maps of the nighttime sky showing constellations and stars.

They have been used for many centuries by navigators.

Ptolemy

- A 100’s CE Greek-Egyptian astronomer and cartographer who did

extensive work in astronomy and supported the geocentric theory of

how the universe operated. He also drew many of the most used

portolani (maps).

geocentric theory

- An ancient scientific theory that the earth is at the center of the

universe and that all heavenly objects revolve around it.

heliocentric theory

- A scientific theory that the sun, not the earth, is at the center of our

universe and that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way

around.

elliptical

- An enclosed circle that is oval in shape.

telescope

- A scientific tool used to enhance one’s sight when observing objects in

the sky.

lunar

- Of, or pertaining to the moon.

solar

- Of, or pertaining to the sun.

Inquisition

- Term for religious courts set up by Catholic authorities to root out

anyone suspected of holding views that contradicted Catholic

teachings. The courts could use torture and death to enforce their

power.

heresy

- To hold positions that are contrary to the accepted teachings of a

religious community.

recant

- To assert that one no longer accepts beliefs that one once supported;

to take back something once proclaimed.

alchemy

- A forerunner of chemistry, it was focused on the transformation of

matter, especially base metals, such as lead, into gold.

Universal Laws

- A belief in physics that there are scientific rules that are true

everywhere and for all time. Gravity is a prime example.

gravity

- A natural phenomenon in which all objects with mass and energy are

drawn towards one another.

plagiarize

- To take credit for the work of someone else and to pass it off as your

own; to copy.

mechanistic

- Theories that explain phenomena in purely physical or deterministic

terms.

anatomy

- The branch of science that deals with the study of the bodily structure

of humans and other animals.

Galen

- A 100’s CE Greek physician whose ideas about anatomy and medicine

dominated medical theories for over 1,000 years.

bloodletting

- The now discredited practice of withdrawing blood from a patient to

treat or prevent illness or disease.

folk remedies

- The use of herbs, foods, and household items to treat illnesses and

disease by medical laymen. Some have shown effectiveness, others

none.

circulatory system

- The complex system of veins and arteries that move blood through the

body.

entomology

- the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects.

metamorphosis

- In insects or amphibians, the transformation from an immature form to

an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

Smallpox

- A viral infection that caused high fever and an outbreak of painful

blisters all over the body. Over 90% of the infected died.

inoculation

- A method of injecting immunities to a particular disease directly into the

body.

querelles de femmes

- Term for the centuries long debate about the proper role for women in

European society.

midwife

- Historically, a woman trained in the care of expecting mothers and in

the delivery of babies.

Index

- First compiled at the Council of Trent, this was a list of books that

Catholics were prohibited to read. The Index was abolished in 1966.

Rationalism

- The theory that opinions or actions should be based on reason and

knowledge rather than on religious beliefs or emotional responses.

cogito ergo sum

- Famous Latin expression credited to Descartes; it translates as “I think,

therefore I am.”

Empiricism

- The theory that all knowledge comes from experience and evidence

rather than from tradition.

Scientific Method

- Radical new way of developing and confirming knowledge, developed

in the 1600’s and credited to Sir Francis Bacon. It involves a three-

step process of hypothesis, experimentation, new hypothesis.

Scientific Societies

- National scientific organizations, such as the British Royal Society and

the French Academy, that bring together the leading scientists to share

and collaborate.

Enlightenment

- An European intellectual movement of the 17 th and 18 th centuries in

which ideas of God, nature, reason, and humanity were challenged

and reassessed. It was predominantly associated with France.

philosophes

- The French term for “philosopher,” it is used to describe the leading

intellects of the Enlightenment, such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and

Rousseau.

relativism

- The belief that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to

culture, society, or historical context and are not absolute.

“noble savage”

- An Enlightenment idea, associated with Rousseau, that believed that

early and primitive man was free from sin, materialistic desire, and was

more happy and free than the supposedly civilized Europeans.

censorship

- The suppression of any part of a book, publication, film, or work of art

because of perceived offensive political, sexual, or religious content.

salon

- Fashionable rooms in Parisian homes, run by elegant women, where

the ideas of the Enlightenment could be debated and discussed by

both genders.

separation of powers

- The political concept, advocated by Montesquieu, where government’s

powers are divided into different branches, such as executive and

legislative.

Deism

- A philosophical movement of the 18 th century that believed in a Creator

being (God) but rejected the Christian/Jewish/Muslim concept of a

redeemer God.

Enlightened Absolutism

- Voltaire’s political idea that the ideal form of government was one

where the monarch possessed all power, but used it wisely for the

benefit of their subjects. Many monarchs considered themselves to be

examples of such a ruler.

anti-clerical

- To be opposed to the power of religious authorities.

natural state

- Rousseau argued that people who lived in a morally neutral, simple

state in harmony with the natural world around him was happier than

Europeans. He was inspired by the example of Native American and

South Pacific cultures.

general will

- A political philosophy associated with Rousseau that argued that

people share a common goal for personal and communal happiness

and progress.

physiocrats

- 17 th and 18 th century philosophers who dedicated their studies to

economics. Adam Smith was the best example of a physiocrat.