Units 5 and 6 Flashcards
(192 cards)
The Enlightenment
The period in which intellectuals began to emphasize reason over tradition and individualism over community values
Individualism
a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control
self-determination
the process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government
Scientific Revolution
a series of events that marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy) and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.
Humanism
a Renaissance cultural movement which turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought
Socialism
a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law
Age of Isms
New ideas emerged about how to improve society. Schools of thought including socialism and liberalism arose, giving rise to the period being called “the Age of Isms.” Opposing socialism and liberalism were the currents of conservatism, particularly popular among European rulers, and romanticism
Revolutions
a revolution is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization. Usually occurs when the population is unhappy
Nationalism
a feeling of intense loyalty to others who share one’s language and culture
Empiricism
belief that knowledge comes from experience rather than relying on reasoning provided by tradition or religion
Thomas Hobbes
a philosopher who argued that people are born into a bleak world and form a social contract by giving up some rights to a strong central government in return for law and order
John Locke
Believed that the social contract implied the responsibility of citizens to revolt against an unjust goverment
Tabula rasa
theory that at birth the (human) mind is a “blank slate” without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing are formed solely by one’s sensory experiences
Philosophes
the intellectuals of the 18th-century Enlightenment. Few were primarily philosophers; rather, philosophes were public intellectuals who applied reason to the study of many areas of learning, including philosophy, history, science, politics, economics, and social issues
Montesquieu
the principal source of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world
Voltaire
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
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought
The Social Contract
a theory or model that originated during the Age of Enlightenment and usually concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual
Adam Smith
known as ‘‘The Father of Economics’’ or ‘‘The Father of Capitalism’’
The Wealth of Nations
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
Laissez Faire
a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering
Capitalism
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state
Deism
belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe