4.3 The Enlightenment

Atheism

The denial of the existence of God

Capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the government.

Salons

gatherings in which intellectual and political ideas were exchanged during the Enlightenment

Reason

the application of the scientific method to the understanding of all life

Natural Rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

Cultural Relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards,

Empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation

Enlightenment

A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.

Phisiocrats

18th century economic reformers who wanted to replace the theory of mercantilism with free-trade capitalism.

Rationalism

A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response

Deism

A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets.

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

New Skepticism

Enlightened idea in which someone would have a skeptical attitude toward attempts to enforce religious conformity

Philisophes

French Thinkers who desired reform in society during the Enlightment.