Scientific Revolutionaries
This Polish scientist proposed the heliocentric theory, stating the sun was the center of the universe
Who was Nicolaus Copernicus?
He argued that all people are born with natural rights, specifically life, liberty, and property.
Who was John Locke?
The incorrect theory championed by Aristotle and Ptolemy that placed the Earth at the center of the universe.
What is the Geocentric Theory?
Known as the "Sun King," this French monarch built the palace of Versailles and ruled as an absolute monarch.
Who was Louis XIV (the 14th)?
A step-by-step process used by scientists to test ideas through observation and experimentation.
What is the Scientific Method?
An Italian scientist who used a telescope to support the heliocentric theory but was put on trial by the Catholic Church
Who was Galileo Galilei?
This French philosopher believed government power should be separated into legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
Who was Baron de Montesquieu?
The idea that a government's power comes from an agreement between the ruler and the people.
What is a Social Contract?
Social gatherings hosted by wealthy women where writers, artists, and philosophes discussed ideas.
What are Salons?
This invention, improved by Galileo, allowed scientists to see distant objects in space.
What is the Telescope?
He developed the law of universal gravitation and the three laws of motion
Who was Isaac Newton?
An outspoken French writer who fought for freedom of speech and religious tolerance.
Who was Voltaire?
A belief that absolute monarchs received their authority directly from God.
What is Divine Right?
The specific name for absolute monarchs who tried to apply Enlightenment reforms in their countries.
What are Enlightened Despots?
The French philosopher who emphasized using mathematics and logic, famously stating, "I think, therefore I am."
Who was René Descartes?
This German scientist agreed with Copernicus but added that planets move in elliptical (oval) orbits, not perfect circles.
Who was Johannes Kepler?
In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she argued that women possess reason and deserve equal rights.
Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?
A "hands-off" economic policy where the government does not regulate the economy; French for "leave it alone."
What is Laissez-faire?
The Russian ruler who expanded education and the arts but failed to free the serfs because she needed noble support.
Who was Catherine the Great?
The English philosopher who pioneered the experimental method and urged scientists to gather data.
Who was Francis Bacon?
The first scientist to describe "cells" after observing cork through a microscope.
Who was Robert Hooke?
A Scottish economist who advocated for laissez-faire economics and the free enterprise system.
Who was Adam Smith?
The school of thought developed by Bacon and Descartes that uses observation, experimentation, and math to find truth.
What is Scientific Rationalism?
This Prussian King granted religious tolerance and banned torture, but refused to change the social hierarchy.
Who was Frederick the Great?
Before the Scientific Revolution, Europeans relied on the Bible and the works of these ancient people for knowledge.
Who were the Greeks (or Romans)?