The Enlightenment Test Questions – Flashcards

Wrote A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, book addressed that lack of educational opprotunities for women; tried to improve the status of women, skeptic woman; "if all men are born free, why are women slaves?"; why don't all populations receive natural rights

People who belive that no god exists

wrote Historical and Critical Dictionary examining religious beliefs and persecutions of the past. He found that human beliefs were very varied and often wrong. He concluded that nothing can ever be known beyond all doubt, and that one's best hope was open-minded toleration. This skepticism was very influential. His Dictionary was the most popular book in private French libraries at that time.

This is the book written by Voltaire, who was a Deist. It put forth the idea that people believing that everything happens for the best is ludicrous. Protagonist must choose between being flogged thirty-six times by every soldier in a regiment and having twelve bullets in his brain,

a woman who was fortunate enough to receive an education in the sciences; aristocrat trained as a mathematician and scientist; helped stimulate interest in science in France by translating Newton's work from Latin into French

agreement by the people of a nation to subject themselves to the authority to a government. Natural rights philosophers, such as John Locke, believe that any legitimate government must draw its authority from the consent of the governed.

The religion of the Enlightenment (1700s). Followers believed that God existed and had created the world, but that afterwards He left it to run by its own natural laws. Denied that God communicated to man or in any way influenced his life.

multifacted leader of French Enlightenment; worked on Encyclopedia which included scientific and social knowledge; wrote widely on philosophy, mathematics, and psychology on deaf-mutes

Rousseau's novel about the education of a young man; argued that children, when born, were perfect and perfectly designed, but then they meet society and society corrupts them. It urges educators to allow children to pursue their natural interests and to learn from their experiences rather than confine them in a disciplined classroom environment

This was the first publication of different essays about the culture and society of France which was put on the Index of Forbidden Books because it dealt with controversial issues assembled by: Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert; consisted of 100 plus authors and most advancd ideas of the day; plea for freedom of expression included ideas in religion, gov't and philosophy; focused on antiquity,

A philosophical movement in eighteenth-century Europe that fostered the belief that one could reform society by discovering rational laws that governed social behavior and were just as scientific as the laws of physics., Leaders of this movement believed that humanity's problems could be corrected through the use of humanity's logic.

French man of letters; wrote the "Conversation on the Plurality of Worlds." In this book, a sophisticated man and an elegant woman, possibly his lover, are in a large park gazing at the stars and the man proceeds to give her an astronomy lesson. Here, ideas such as heliocentricity were expressed; He knew people wouldn't want to read a boring textbook, so he wrote a romantic novel of sorts in order to get his ideas across. Significant because his writing spread the ideas of the scientific revolution to a non scientific audience.

According to Rousseau the general will is sacred and absolute, reacting the common interests of the people who have displaced the monarch as the holder of ultimate power. , one of the two concepts set forth in The Social Contract, favoring the collective desires of citizenry as opposed to individual interests

English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings; wrote "Leviathan" and believed people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish; he also believed only a powerful governemnt could keep an orderly society

Building on Locke's teachings, he argued that the mind was just a bundle of impressions. These impressions originate only in sense experiences and our habits of joining these experiences together. Since out ideas ultimately reflect only our sense experiences, our reason can't tell us anything about questions that cannot be verified by sense experience (in the form of controlled experiments or math), such as the origin of the universe and the existence of God. These ideas undermined the Enlightenment's faith in the power of reason.

a phrase coined by Adam Smith to describe the process that turns self-directed gain into social and economic benefits for all, the tendency of firms and resource suppliers that seek to further their own self-interests in competitive markets to also promote the interest of society

written by Voltaire after his return to France following his exile in England (1733), it was his book based on his experiences while living there; it praised virtues of the English, especially that of religious liberty and freedom, and indirectly criticized the French society's abuses. Was later condemned by the Parliament of Paris.

Written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, maintained that sovereignty is ultimately derived from the people, who transfer it to the monarchy by implicit contract. It argues that a strong central government is necessary to protect man from the chaos and violence of the state of nature

English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience. Wrote Two Treatises on Government as justification of Glorious Revolution and end of absolutism in England. He argued that man is born good and has rights to life, liberty, and property. To protect these rights, people enter social contract to create government with limited powers. If a government did not protect these rights or exceeded its authority, Locke believed the people have the right to revolt. The ideas of consent of the governed, social contract, and right of revolution influenced the United States Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He also laid the foundations for criticism of absolute monarchy in France.

(1689-1755) wrote 'Spirit of the Laws', said that no single set of political laws was applicable to all - depended on relationship and variables, supported division of government, advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755)

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke's theories about government and was widely accepted among America's Founders.

united the experimental and theoretical-mathematical sides of modern science to explain the forces behind the movement of the plants and objects on Earth, law of universal gravitation

English mathematician and scientist who invented differential calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravitation, a theory about the nature of light, and three laws of motion. His treatise on gravitation, presented in Principia Mathematica (1687), was supposedly inspired by the sight of a falling apple.

The notion, often associated with Rousseau, that non-Western or "primitive" people are actually happier and more virtuous than Westerners. Based on the idea that humans are free and equal in "a state of nature" but that social institutions deprive them of that freedom and equality.

Adam and Eve's abuse of their human freedom in disobeying God's command. as a consequence, they lost the grace of original holiness and justice, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world; every person is born into this condition. This sin separated mankind from God, darkened the human intellect, weakened the human will, and introduced into human nature an inclination toward sin.

written by Montesquieu; described a Persian in France writing to another back in the middle east and compared Louis XIV to the Persian ruler; made people upset

Thinkers of the Enlightenment; Wanted to educate the socially elite, but not the masses; were not allowed to openly criticize church or state, so used satire and double-meaning in their writings to avoid being banned; Salons held by wealthy women also kept philosophes safe; They considered themselves part of an intellectual community, and wrote back and forth to each other to share ideas.

An encyclopedic dictionary published by Voltaire in 1764. The alphabetically arranged articles often criticize the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions. Voltaire is very concerned about the injustices of the Catholic Church, which he sees as intolerant and fanatical. At the same time, his work espouses deism, tolerance, and freedom of the press.

This 1687 work by Isaac Newton is considered perhaps the most important scientific book ever published -- It contained his three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation, explaining the movement of all bodies in the universe and ending all doubts about heliocentrism

Philosphe who published the "Social Contract." he posited that people are born good but are corrupted e education, laws, and society. He advocated a government based on popular sovereignty and was distrustful of other philosophes' suffocating conformity to "reason.", He was committed to individual freedom, but thought that rationalism and civilization corrupt man. Spontaneous feeling was to replace the coldness of intellectualism. Man is born good and needs protection from society. This influenced the Romantic Movement of the nineteenth century. His book, The Social Contract tells how social inequalities develop when people sign a social contract agreeing to surrender to the general will in order to be free. This creates a government as a necessary evil to carry out general will. If general will fails, people can replace it. This has justified actions in the French revolution and in Hitler's regime. He also wrote Emile that attacked society and proposed a new theory of education. He called for focus on logical thinking, reason, love, tenderness, and understanding toward children. He wanted children to be raised naturally and spontaneously in order to raise their emotional awareness.

Informal gatherings, usually sponsored by middle-class or aristocratic women, that provided a forum for new ideas and an opportunity to establish new intellectual contacts among supporters of the Enlightenment in the 18th century. These informal gatherings gave intellectual life an anchor outside the royal court and church-dominated universities and afforded an opportunity to test ideas or present unpublished works.

government based on consent of governed; individuals had natural rights (life, liberty, property); people had right to overthrow government, Written by John Locke, it contains the blueprint principles found in the Declaration of Independence.

The structure of the government provided for in the Constitution where authority is divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; idea comes from Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws.

Scottish political economist and philosopher. His Wealth of Nations (1776) laid the foundations of classical free-market economic theory, government should not interfere with economics. Advocates Laissez Faire and founder of "invisible hand"

Enlightenment idea that people must hand over power to a strong ruler, in exchange they gain law and order; Hobbes believed that this government should be an absolute monarchy in order to keep citizens under control

1. every man's right to life, liberty, and property 2. The right to protect these is given to the government that men form. 3.If a government failed to protect these things, it was breaking its side of the contract and could be disbanded

According to Rousseau, or the principles of the political right. The best way to set up a political community. The Social Contract was a progressive work that helped inspire political reforms or revolutions in Europe. The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate; as Rousseau asserts, only the people, in the form of the sovereign, have that all powerful right.

In this 1748 work on political theory Montesquieu argued that a country's political institutions should be determined by its unique geographic and social characteristics -- He also argues for the separation of government power among separate branches

The basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.

John Locke's concept of the mind as a blank sheet ultimately bombarded by sense impressions that, aided by human reasoning, formulate ideas.

Mary Wollstonecraft's treatise of 1792, in which she argued that reason was the basis of moral behavior in all human beings, not just in men. She concluded that women should have equal rights with men in education, politics, and economics

(1694-1778) French philosopher. He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the corruption of the French government, and the intolerance of the Catholic Church., French, perhaps greatest Enlightenment thinker. Deist. Mixed glorification and reason with an appeal for better individuals and institutions. Wrote "Candide". Believed enlightened despot best form of government.

Written by Adam Smith. Promoted laissez-faire, free-market economy, and supply-and-demand economics. This criticized mercantilism and proposed a free market economy in which the "invisible hand" determined prices.

Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women, in which she called for equal education for girls and boys. She felt that a woman should be able to decide what was in her own interest without depending on her husband.