Unit 4 - Age of Reason/Enlightenment Flashcards
Law of Gravity
Any two bodies in the universe attract each other with a force that is related to their masses.
Encyclopedia
A book or set of books giving information on a wide range of subjects.
Physiocrats
French economists who believed that the government shouldn’t interfere with natural economic laws. Also believed that land is the source of all wealth.
Salon
A gathering of prominent intellectuals and artists held by a high society woman.
Falling Bodies Theory
The speed of a falling object does not depend on its mass.
Free Market
Economic system where prices are determined by the competition between private businesses.
Philosopher
Person who seeks enlightenment or wisdom.
Scientific Method
The procedure used to gain knowledge by conducting an experiment and gathering data through observation.
Social Contract
An actual or hypothetical agreement between members of an organized society and its ruler that defines the rights and duties of both parties.
Philosophe
A writer or thinker of the Enlightenment.
John Locke
An English philosopher and political theorist. Believed in freedom to life, liberty, and pursuit of property.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Swiss-born philosopher who believed in a direct democracy and individual freedom.
Sir Isaac Newton
English physicist and mathematician, discovered the Three Laws of Motion and the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Austrian composer; a prodigy who started composing at age five.
Thomas Hobbes
English philosopher who believed in a social contract between an absolute monarch and the people in which the populace gave up freedoms in exchange for security.
Voltaire
French philosopher who believed in tolerance and freedom of speech.
Galileo Galilei
Italian philosopher and scientist. Discovered many things about the solar system, as well as inertia and the acceleration of objects.
Johann Sebastian Bach
German composer; his pieces are known for their technical command. Wrote many piano and orchestral works.
Baron de Montesquieu
French political philosopher who believed in the separation of powers and a checks and balances system.
Denis Diderot
French philosopher who assembled the Encyclopedia.
Copernicus
Polish astronomer who proposed that the planets, including Earth, revolve around the Sun.
George Frederick Handel
German composer; known for operas and orchestral pieces.
