Scientific Revolution

Question 1

Alchemy

Answer 1

An ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. It was based on the transformation of matter.

Question 2

Aristotelian Philosophy

Answer 2

A philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by deductive logic and an analytic inductive method in the study of nature and natural law.

Question 3

Brahe

Answer 3

A Danish astronomer, known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical observations. He wrote the “Astronomiae Instauratae Progymnasmata.”

Question 4

Cartesian Dualism

Answer 4

Descartes’s principle of the separation of mind and matter (and mind and body) that enabled scientists to view matter as something separate from themselves that could be investigated by reason.

Question 5

Copernicus

Answer 5

A Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. He proposed that there were 8 spheres: the sun, the six planets, and the moon.

Question 6

Deductive method/reasoning

Answer 6

The process of reasoning from one or more statements to reach a logical conclusion. This process was invented by Aristotle.

Question 7

Descartes

Answer 7

A French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who invented analytic geometry, linking the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra. He laid the foundation for the scientific method and wrote the book, “Discourse on Method.”

Question 8

Empiricism

Answer 8

The practice of relying on observation and experiment.

Question 9

Francis Bacon

Answer 9

An English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. He developed the modern scientific method and wrote “The Great Instauration.”

Question 10

Geocentric Conception of the Universe

Answer 10

The belief that the earth was at the center of the universe and that the sun and other celestial objects revolved around the earth.

Question 11

Ptolemy

Answer 11

A mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance to later Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European science.

Question 12

Galileo

Answer 12

An astronomer, physicist and engineer who developed the telescope. He proposed that because the moon had craters, the universe was not perfect. He wrote the book, “Starry Messenger.”

Question 13

“The Starry Messenger”

Answer 13

A short astronomical treatise published in New Latin by Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610.

Question 14

“Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems”

Answer 14

A 1632 Italian-language book by Galileo Galilei comparing the Copernican system with the traditional Ptolemaic system. It was translated into Latin as Systema cosmicum in 1635 by Matthias Bernegger.

Question 15

Heliocentric Conception of the Universe

Answer 15

The belief that the sun, not the earth, is at the center of the universe.

Question 16

Hermeticism

Answer 16

An intellectual movement beginning in the fifteenth century that taught divinity is embodied in all aspects of nature; including works on alchemy and magic as well as theology and philosophy. The tradition continued into the seventeenth century and influenced many of the leading figures of the Scientific Revolution.

Question 17

Inductive Method/Reasoning

Answer 17

A method of reasoning in which a body of observations is synthesized to come up with a general principle.

Question 18

Kepler

Answer 18

A German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books “Astronomia nova,” “Harmonice Mundi,” and “Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae.”

Question 19

Natural Laws

Answer 19

A body of laws or specific principles held to be derived from nature and binding on all human societies even in the absence of written laws governing on such matters.

Question 20

Natural Philosophy

Answer 20

The philosophical study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes attempted to explain natural phenomena without recourse to creation myths involving the Greek gods.

Question 21

Enlightenment

Answer 21

An eighteenth-century intellectual movement, led by the philosophes, that stressed the application of reason and the scientific method to all aspects of life.

Question 22

Voltaire

Answer 22

A French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity—especially the Roman Catholic Church—as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.

Question 23

Diderot

Answer 23

A French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d’Alembert. He was a prominent figure during the Age of Enlightenment.

Question 24

Deism

Answer 24

Belief in God as the creator of the universe who, after setting it in motion, ceased to have any direct involvement in it and allowed it to run according to its own natural laws.

Question 25

John Locke

Answer 25

An English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the “Father of Liberalism.” He wrote the “Two Treatises of Government.”

Question 26

Adam Locke

Answer 26

A Scottish economist, philosopher, pioneer of political economy, and a key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. He wrote the “Wealth of Nations.”

Question 27

David Hume

Answer 27

A Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist, librarian and essayist, who is best known today for his highly influential system of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. He wrote “A Treatise of Human Nature.”

Question 28

Mary Wollstonecraft

Answer 28

An English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft’s life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationships at the time, received more attention than her writing. She wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.”

Question 29

Madame Geoffrin

Answer 29

A French salon holder who has been referred to as one of the leading female figures in the French Enlightenment. From 1750 to 1777, Madame Geoffrin played host to many of the most influential Philosophes and Encyclopédistes of her time. She was the salon holder of Hôtel de Rambouillet.

Question 30

Salon

Answer 30

Gatherings of philosophes and other notables to discuss the ideas of the Enlightenment; so called from the elegant drawing rooms (salons) where they met.

Question 31

Skepticism

Answer 31

A doubtful or questioning attitude, especially about religion.

Question 32

Montesquieu

Answer 32

A French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the principal source of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He wrote “The Spirit of Laws.”

Question 33

The Social Contract

Answer 33

A 1762 book by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in which Rousseau theorized about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society.

Question 34

Neoclassicism

Answer 34

A late-eighteenth-century artistic movement that emerged in France. It sought to recapture the dignity and simplicity of the classical style of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Question 35

High Culture

Answer 35

The literary and artistic culture of the educated and wealthy ruling classes.

Question 36

Popular Culture

Answer 36

As opposed to high culture, the unofficial written and unwritten culture of the masses, much of which was traditionally passed down orally and centered on public and group activities such as festivals. In the modern age, the term refers to the entertainment, recreation, and pleasures that people purchase as part of the mass consumer society.

Question 37

Feminism

Answer 37

The belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes; also, organized activity to advance women’s rights.

Question 38

Laissez-Faire

Answer 38

“Let (them) do (as they please.” An economic doctrine that holds that an economy is best served when the government does not interfere but allows the economy to self-regulate according to the forces of supply and demand.

Question 39

Invisible Hand

Answer 39

An economic concept that describes the unintended greater social benefits and public good brought about by individuals acting in their own self-interests. The concept was first introduced by Adam Smith in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, written in 1759.

Question 40

Methodism

Answer 40

A group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their doctrine of practice and belief from the life and teachings of John Wesley.

Question 41

Natural Law

Answer 41

A body of laws or specific principles held to be derived from nature and binding of all human societies even in the absence of written laws governing such matters.

Question 42

Natural Rights

Answer 42

Certain inalienable rights to which all people are entitled, including the right of life, liberty, and property; freedom of speech and religion; and equality before the law.

Question 43

Philosophes

Answer 43

Intellectuals of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment who believed in applying the spirit of rational criticism to all things, including religion and politics, and who focused on improving and enjoying this world, rather than on the afterlife.

Question 44

Pietism

Answer 44

A movement that arose in Germany in the seventeenth century whose goal was to foster a personal experience of God as the focus of a true religious experience.

Question 45

Rationalism

Answer 45

A system of thought based on the belief that human reason and experience are the chief sources of knowledge.

Question 46

Separation of Powers

Answer 46

a doctrine enunciated by Montesquieu in the eighteenth century that separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers serve to limit and control each other.