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Scientific Revolution

100

$100: This pre-Scientific Revolution view of the universe placed the Earth at the center.

geocentrism

200

$200: This scientist was forced by the Catholic Church to recant his support for the heliocentric model, which placed the Sun at the center.

Galileo Galilei

300

$300: This thinker is famous for his discovery of the circulation of blood in the human body.

William Harvey

400

$400: Championed by Francis Bacon, this method builds general theories from systematic observation and experimentation.

Question: What is Inductive Reasoning (or the Scientific Method)?

500

$500: René Descartes used this type of reasoning, which moves from a general premise to a specific logical conclusion.

Question: What is Deductive Reasoning?

Key Thinkers

100

$100: He argued that all individuals are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

Question: Who is John Locke?

200

$200: In his work The Leviathan, he described the "state of nature" as a "war of all against all" where life is "nasty, brutish, and short."

Question: Who is Thomas Hobbes?

300

$300: This French philosopher was a fierce advocate for freedom of speech and religious tolerance.

Question: Who is Voltaire?

400

$400: She challenged prevailing notions about women's roles, calling for equal educational opportunities in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

Question: Who is Mary Wollstonecraft?

500

$500: He defined the Enlightenment as humanity's emergence from "self-imposed immaturity" and urged people to "Dare to Know."

Question: Who is Immanuel Kant?

Political Concepts

100

$100: The principle that a government's legitimate authority is derived from the people.

Question: What is the Consent of the Governed?

200

$200: To prevent tyranny, this thinker proposed dividing government power into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Question: Who is Baron de Montesquieu?

300

$300: Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept that laws should reflect the common interest or collective sovereignty of the community.

Question: What is the General Will?

400

$400: John Locke believed that if a government fails to protect natural rights, the citizens have this specific right.

Question: What is the right to alter or overthrow the government?

500

$500: This Latin term describes Locke’s view of the human mind at birth as a "blank slate."

Question: What is Tabula Rasa?

Impact and Revolutions

100

$100: This 1776 American document was heavily influenced by Locke's ideas on natural rights and the consent of the governed.

Question: What is the Declaration of Independence?

200

$200: Montesquieu’s ideas on the separation of powers directly shaped this foundational U.S. document.

Question: What is the U.S. Constitution?

300

$300: Rousseau’s ideas on popular sovereignty and the general will were embraced during the radical phases of this European revolution.

Question: What is the French Revolution?

400

$500: Enlightenment thinkers challenged these three established power structures of the "Old Order."

Question: What are absolute rule, religious authority, and mercantilism?

500

$400: This economic theory, promoted by Adam Smith, argued that markets should be regulated by an "invisible hand" rather than government intervention and was in contrast to the mercantilism that was prevalent at the time

Question: What is Capitalism?

Definitions and Terms

100

$100: This is the alternate name for the Enlightenment period, highlighting the shift toward logic and rational inquiry.

Question: What is the Age of Reason?

200

$200: This philosophical approach emphasizes building knowledge through verifiable, evidence-based observation.

Question: What is Empiricism?

300

$300: This term refers to the agreement where individuals surrender some freedoms to a sovereign in exchange for security and order.

Question: What is the Social Contract?

400

$400: This Latin phrase, coined by Descartes, translates to "I think, therefore I am."

Question: What is "Cogito, ergo sum"?

500

$500: This concept emphasizes that ultimate authority resides with the people rather than a monarch.

Question: What is Popular Sovereignty?