Flashcards: 17 Enlightenment Crawford
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Created by:
HistoryofCrawford on July 27, 2010
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Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 The Enlightenment | 18th century philosophy that believes in applying reason to daily life. |
| Baron d'Holbach (d. 1789) | First person to publicly argue for atheism. |
| Edward Gibbon | Wrote Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which blamed the Middle Ages on Christianity. |
| Voltaire (d. 1778) | Deist who believed in religious toleration. Compared France with England. Wrote Candide. |
| Rococo | Enlightenment-period architectural style. Emphasized grace and gentle action by using many curves and natural objects. |
| John Wesley (d. 1791 | Founder of Methodism. Believed in personal spiritual experiences. |
| laissez-faire | French for "let people do as they choose," the economic idea that economies prosper when unregulated. |
| general will | From Rousseau's The Social Contract. The wishes of the majority in a society. |
| salons | Where philosophes and upper-class people would gather to discuss philosophy. |
| Physiocrats | Led by François Quesnay (d. 1774), they claimed that natural laws applied to economics. |
| tabula rasa | Locke's idea of a "blank mind." We are born with brains as blank slates, and acquire everything through experience. |
| pogroms | Massacres and looting of Jewish communities |
| Cesare Beccaria (d. 1794) | Wrote On Crimes and Punishment. Believed that punishment should deter people from committting crimes. Said capital punishment did not work. |
| Denis Diderot (d. 1784) | Wrote the Encyclopedia, a 28-volume work which spread Enlightenment thought. Notable for attacks on Christianity. |
| philosophes | The French word for "philosophers." All Enlightenment thinkers were called this. |
| noble savage | The idea that it's better to live close to nature, meaning that indigenous peoples are better than those who live in civilizations. |
| Jean-Jacques Rousseau (d. 1778) | Wrote The Social Contract, which says mankind should be governed by its "general will." |
| Montesquieu (d. 1755) | Wrote The Spirit of the Laws, which suggested a separation of powers within governments. |
| Adam Smith (d. 1790) | Wrote The Wealth of Nations. Argued that laissez-faire economics was best, and that wealth stems from labor. |
| David Hume (d. 1776) | Wrote Treatise on Human Nature. Said we should use the scientific method on humanity (called "the science of man"). |
| Mary Wollstonecraft (d. 1797) | Wrote Vindication of the Rights of Women. Argued that women should have equal rights with men. |