C100 Intro to Humanities Flashcards
Age of Exploration
Time period between the early fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries when Europeans sailed around the globe and transferred goods, food, plants, and people (in the form of slaves) transforming the countries they reached.
chromaticism
The movement or displacement of notes by a half-step, as opposed to the tradition of whole-step movement in previous periods.
classical humanism
The cultural movement of the Renaissance, that emphasized the dignity, worth, and rationality of humankind.
Classicism
Aesthetic attitudes and principles found in the art, architecture, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome.
colonialism
The political, economic, and cultural domination by one country over another country or region.
Darwinism
The theory of evolution by natural selection developed by biologist Charles Darwin.
Deism
The belief that God created the natural laws that govern nature but does not directly intervene or interfere in any way.
Democracy
Government of direct rule by the people, a form developed by the Greeks.
egalitarianism
A belief in promoting social and political equality.
Empiricism
all knowledge is derived from our senses.
epistemology
The study of thinking.
exoticism
An artistic trend that took place in Europe in the 19th century, which borrowed and glorified cultural aspects from non-Western civilizations.
Golden Mean
Aristotle’s term for the desirable middle between two extremes, between excess and inadequacy.
Humanism
The study of the creative and intellectual contributions of all human cultures.
iconoclasm
The deliberate destruction of religious art, imagery, icons, and other symbols or monuments.
idealism
Theory that reality is a mental construction or that the object of external perception consists of ideas.
Imperialism
The policy of extending the rule of an empire/nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
Impressionism
Art movement of the late 19th century that emphasized simplified composition and the effect of light and color to capture a painter’s visual impression.
individualism
That which separates one unique person from another, as well as the social and philosophical viewpoint that celebrates that difference.
Industrialism
The emphasis on an industrialized economic system.
Kouros
Type of statue featuring life-sized male nudes in a stance in which the left foot is placed in front of the right.
linear perspective
The creation of the illusion of depth based on the fact that parallel lines or edges appear to converge, and objects appear smaller as the distance between them and a viewer increases.
madrigal
A polyphonic vocal work, usually written for four or five voices, setting a pastoral poem to music, performed without instrumental accompaniment, and intended for secular use.
Materialism
Philosophical position that all processes, phenomena, and objects/beings can be explained as manifestations or results of matter.
Motifs
In music, a brief but recognizable recurring fragment of a melody.
nationalism
A variant of patriotism characterized by intense loyalty to a particular nation and its defining values and features.
Natural Selection
The gradual process by which certain biological traits fade away or grow through the reproductive success or failure of the individuals that have that trait; a term coined by Charles Darwin to illustrate that certain traits are better suited for certain environments than others.
Neoclassicism
Art movement of 18th century that drew on Greek and Roman art for models of harmony, idealized realism, and reason.
Order
Natural laws that Enlightenment thinkers believed should guide the structure of civilized life.
passion
The evocation of strong, irrational emotion within an artistic or literary work.