Chapter 16 reading quiz questions

Empiricism

A theory of inductive reasoning that calls for acquiring evidence through observation and experimentation rather than deductive reason and speculation.

Rococo

A popular style in Europe in the eighteenth century, known for its soft pastels, ornate interiors, sentimental portraits, and starry-eyed lovers protected by hovering cupids.

Natural philosophy

An early modern term for the study of the nature of the universe, its purpose, and how it functioned; it encompassed what we would call "science" today.

Public sphere

An idealized intellectual space that emerged in Europe during the Enlightenment, where the public came together to discuss important issues relating to society, economics, and politics.

Copernican hypothesis

The idea that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe.

Enlightenment

The influential intellectual and cultural movement of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that introduced a new worldview based on the use of reason, the scientific method, and progress.

Philosophes

A group of French intellectuals who proclaimed that they were bringing the light of knowledge to their fellow humans in the Age of Enlightenment.

Explain how John Locke believed people learned?

John Locke believed that people learned through their experiences. Human minds at birth are blank canvases, where the environment shapes the individual's understanding and beliefs.

How did Immanuel Kant define "Enlightenment?"

Kant defined Enlightenment as having the courage to use one's own understanding. Enlightenment would surely follow when intellectuals could exercise their reason freely.

Law of inertia

A law formulated by Galileo that states that motion, not rest, is the natural state of an object, and that an object continues in motion forever unless stopped by some external force.

What was a Salon? What was its role in facilitating the spread of ideas?

A salon was a regular meeting held in private drawing rooms. There the ruling classes and the leaders of Enlightenment thought exchanged witty observations on literature, science, and philosophy.

Rationalism

A secular, critical way of thinking in which nothing was to be accepted on faith, and everything was to be submitted to reason.

Cartesian dualism

Descartes's view that all of reality could ultimately be reduced to mind and matter.

Why did France become a hub of the Enlightenment?

French was the international language of the educated, and France was the wealthiest and most populous country in Europe. King Louis XV and his mistresses were increasingly unpopular, leading to calls for reform among the educated elite. French philosophes also made it their goal to reach a larger audience of elites.

How did Galileo initially respond to Kepler's defense of Copernicus? How did that change later in his life?

Galileo initially responded that it was too dangerous to express his support publicly. Later, when Pope Urban VIII ascended, Galileo published Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems of the World, defending Copernicus's ideas.

Describe the ideas and discoveries of Robert Boyle

He discovered the basic elements of nature, which he believed was composed of infinitely small atoms. He was also first to create a vacuum. He discovered Boyle's law, which states that the pressure of a gas varies inversely with volume.

Describe the ideas and discoveries of Paracelsus

Pioneered the use of chemicals and drugs to address what he saw as chemical imbalances, not humoral imbalances.

Salon

Regular social gathering held by talented and rich Parisians in their homes, where philosophes and their followers met to discuss literature, science, and philosophy.

Enlightened absolutism

Term coined by historians to describe the rule of eighteenth-century monarchs who, without renouncing their own absolute authority, adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism, progress, and tolerance.

Haskalah

The Jewish Enlightenment of the second half of the eighteenth century, led by the Prussian philosopher Moses Mendelssohn.

Experimental method

The approach, pioneered by Galileo, that the proper way to explore the workings of the universe was through repeatable experiments rather than speculation.

Reading revolution

The transition in Europe from a society where literacy consisted of patriarchal and communal reading of religious texts to a society where literacy was commonplace and reading material was broad and diverse.

How did religious leaders respond to Copernicus's findings?

There was both support and rejection to his findings. Some Protestant scholars became Copernicans while some others rejected the notion that earth moved. As for the Catholics, the Copernican hypothesis didn't garner much attention, but when it did, it was declared false.

What did Enlightenment thinkers believe about the potential for political change?

They believed that political change could best come from the ruler rather than the peasants. A benevolent absolutism was the best form of government.

Cameralism

View that monarchy was the best form of government, that all elements of society should serve the monarch, and that, in turn, the state should use its resources and authority to increase the public good.

How did the Renaissance stimulate scientific progress?

1) Renaissance patrons played a role in funding scientific investigations 2) Renaissance artists' turn toward realism and their use of geometry to convey three-dimensional perspective encouraged scholars to practice close observation and to use math to describe the natural world 3) Rediscovered classical texts like Prolemy's Geography 4)The fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottomans resulted in a great influx of little-known Greek works, as Chrsitian scholars fled to Italy with their precious texts

Describe the ideas and discoveries of William Harvey

Discovered the circulation of blood through the veins and arteries. Harvey also explained that the heart worked like a pump and the function of its muscles and valves.

Describe the ideas and discoveries of Andreas Vesalius

Dissected human bodies to study anatomy. His masterpiece On the Structure of the Human Body includes two hundred precise drawings of the human body.

Explain the term "Enlightened Absolutism."

Enlightened absolutism describes the rule of monarchs who, without renouncing their own absolute authority, adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism, progress, and tolerance.

What did Kepler contribute to the improving understanding of planetary motion?

Kepler proved mathematically the precise relations of a solar system. He developed three new laws of planetary motion. He found that the orbits of the planets around the sun are elliptical, planets don't move at the same speed, and the time for a planet to orbit is related to its distance from the sun.

How did the age of overseas expansion contribute to the Scientific Revolution?

Navigational problems, trade, and colonization led to technological advancements. Improvements in navigation and cartography were critical in the development of many new scientific instruments. These instruments permitted more accurate observations, and enabled the rise of experimentation as a crucial method of the Scientific Revolution.

Law of universal gravitation

Newton's law that all objects are attracted to one another and that the force of attraction is proportional to the objects' quantity of matter and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.