Chapter 17 Vocabulary

Question 1

earth-centered; system of planetary motion that places Earth at the center of the universe, with the sun, moon, and other planets revolving around it

Answer 1

geocentric

Question 2

french word for philosopher; applied to all intellectuals during the Enlightenment

Answer 2

Philosophe

Question 3

a form of government in which the executive, legislative, and judicial branches limit and control each other through a system of checks and balances

Answer 3

separation of powers

Question 4

phrase meaning “let the people do what they want”; the concept that the state should not impose government regulations but should leave the economy alone

Answer 4

Laissez-Faire

Question 5

the doctrine that scientists should proceed from the particular to the general by making systematic observations and carefully organized experiments to test hypotheses or theories, process that will lead to correct general principles

Answer 5

inductive reasoning

Question 6

systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence that was crucial to the evolution of science in the modern world

Answer 6

scientific method

Question 7

explanation that planetary bodies do not go off in straight lines but instead continue in elliptical orbits around the sun because every object in the universe is attracted to every other object by a force called gravity

Answer 7

universal law of gravitation

Question 8

system of thought expounded by Rene Descartes based on the belief that reason is the chief source of knowledge

Answer 8

rationalism

Question 9

an eighteenth-century religious philosophy based on reason and natural law

Answer 9

deism

Question 10

system in which rulers tried to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their full royal powers

Answer 10

enlightenment absolutism

Question 11

artistic style that replaced baroque in the 1730’s; it was highly secular, emphasizing grace, charm, and gentle action

Answer 11

rococo

Question 12

sun-centered; the system of the universe proposed in 1543 by Nicolaus Copernicus who argued that the earth and planets revolve around the sun

Answer 12

heliocentric

Question 13

concept proposed by Rousseau that an entire society agrees to be governed by its general will, and all individuals should be forced to abide by the general will since it represents what is best for the entire community

Answer 13

social contract

Question 14

elegant drawing rooms of great urban houses where, in the the eighteenth-century, writers, artists, aristocrats, government officials, and wealthy middle-class people gathered to discuss the ideas of the philosophers, helping to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment

Answer 14

salon