Chapter 19 Terms

public sphere

An idealized intellectual space that emerged in Europe during the Enlightenment. Here, the public came together to discuss important social, economic, and political issues.

general will

A concept associated with Rousseau, referring to the common interests of all the people, who have replaced to the power of the monarch.

economic liberalism

The theory, associated with Adam Smith, that the pursuit of self-interest in a competitive market suffices to improve living conditions, rendering government intervention unnecessary and undesirable.

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 object's quantity of matter and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

law of inertia

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

empiricism

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

salons

Regular social gatherings held by talented and rich Parisian women in their homes, where philosophies and their followers met to discuss literature, science, and philosophy.

enclosure

The controversial process of fencing off common land to create privately owned fields that increased agricultural production at the cost of reducing poor farmers' access to land.