AP Euro: ch 17
natural philosophy
and 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
salons significance
helped spread Englightened concepts and sparked debate in philosophes about their current issues
rationalism significance
increased the use of reason and scientific methods to examine the world
cameralism significance
influential throughout German lands, often overlapped with the ideas of the Enlightenment
experimental method significance
changed science and experiments for finding evidence
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 17th and 18th centuries that introduced a new worldview based on the use of reason, the scientific method, and progress
empiricism
a theory of inductive reasoning that calls for acquiring evidence through observation and experimentation rather than reason and speculation
natural philosophy significance
its study provided explainations for the world, which reinforced or opposed religious thought
law of universal gravitation
Netwon's law that all objects are attracted to one another and that the force of attraction is proportional to the object's quantity of matter and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
public sphere significance
had open debate sparked by critical reason
Cartesian dualism significance
highly influential in France and the Netherlands opposing experimental philsophy in England
law of inertia significance
proved Aristotelian physics wrong
salons
regular social gatherings held by talented and rich Parisian women in their homes, where philosophes and their followers met to discuss literature, science, and philosophy
rococo significance
showed women influence on arts as some philosophes argued for greater women rights
philosophes significance
spread and introduced new "enlightened" concepts
Enlightenment significance
spread new ideas and philosophies, shaping the modern mind
Cartesian dualism
Descarte's view that all of reality could ultimately be reduced to mind and matter
rococo
a popular style in Europe in the 18th century, known for its soft pastels, ornate interiors, sentimental portraits, and starry-eyed lovers protected by hovering cupids
empiricism significance
led to widespread experimental philosophy and the scientific method
Haskalah
the Jewish Enlightenment of the 2nd half of the 18th 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
cameralism
view that the 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
philosophes
a group of French intellectuals who proclaimed that they were bringing the light of knowledge to their fellow creatures in the Age of Enlightenment
law of inertia
a law formulated by Galileo that states that motion, not rest, is the natural state of an object, that an object continues in motion forever unless stopped by some external force
rationalism
a secular, critical way of thinking in which nothing was to be accepted on faith, and everything was to be submitted to reason
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
enlightened absolutism significance
brought Enlightened reform to absolutist countries and put new ideals into place
Copernican hypothesis significance
opposed religious ideas and contradicted religious scriptures
law of universal gravitation significance
part of Newton's synthesis that remained until the 20th-century, advance in mathematics and physics
reading revolution significance
people began reading new books of Enlightenment ideas and reading became an individual activity where people could interpret texts differently
Haskalah significance
started advocation of freedom and civil rights for Jews, some of which were granted
enlightened absolutism
term coined by historians to describe the rule of 18th century monarchs who, without renouncing their own absolute authority, adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism, progress, and tolerance