Test on Enlightenment Review

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Scientific Revolution

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Definition: A time during the 16th to 18th centuries when people started using observation and experiments to understand the world, instead of relying on tradition or religion.

Importance: It changed how people viewed science, leading to many discoveries that are the basis of modern science today.

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Age of Enlightenment

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Definition: An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that focused on reason, science, and individual rights.

Importance: The Enlightenment led to new ideas about government, freedom, and human rights, influencing revolutions and modern democracies.

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 John Locke

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Definition: An English philosopher who believed in natural rights (life, liberty, property) and that governments should protect these rights.

Importance: His ideas inspired the American and French Revolutions and are important in the development of democracy.

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Montesquieu

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Definition: A French thinker who came up with the idea of separating government into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Importance: His idea of separation of powers is used in many modern democracies, including the United States, to prevent any one part of the government from becoming too powerful.

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Rousseau

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Definition: A French philosopher who believed that people are naturally good but are corrupted by society. He wrote about the social contract, an agreement between people and their government.

Importance: Rousseau’s ideas about government being based on the will of the people influenced modern democracy and the French Revolution.

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Voltaire

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Definition: A French writer and philosopher who supported freedom of speech, religion, and separation of church and state.

Importance: His ideas about freedom and individual rights inspired changes in governments, especially in Europe.

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Thomas Hobbes

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Definition: An English philosopher who believed that humans are naturally selfish and need a strong government to control them.

Importance: Hobbes’ ideas about a powerful government (often an absolute monarchy) influenced political thinking during his time.

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Nicolaus Copernicus

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Definition: A Polish astronomer who proposed that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun (the heliocentric theory).

Importance: Copernicus’ idea was a huge change from the old belief that the Earth was the center of the universe, helping start the Scientific Revolution.

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Galileo

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Definition: An Italian scientist who used a telescope to study space and supported the idea that the Earth orbits the Sun.

Importance: Galileo’s work helped prove the heliocentric theory, but he was punished by the Catholic Church for going against its teachings.

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Isaac Newton

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Definition: An English scientist who discovered the laws of motion and gravity.

Importance: Newton’s discoveries helped explain how the physical world works, and his ideas are the foundation of modern physics.