Enlightenment Activity

What was the main idea of the Enlightenment according to the text?

• The Enlightenment was a movement to promote religious beliefs.

• The Enlightenment was a movement to apply the scientific method to all aspects of life.

• The Enlightenment was a movement to preserve traditional values.

• The Enlightenment was a movement to expand colonial empires.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights that the Enlightenment emphasized applying the scientific method to all areas of life, promoting reason and empirical evidence over tradition and religious beliefs.

Who were the two seventeenth-century Englishmen that influenced Enlightenment thinkers?

• John Locke and Isaac Newton

• Voltaire and Denis Diderot

• Adam Smith and Cesare Beccaria

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Mary Wollstonecraft

Answer explanation

John Locke's ideas on government and individual rights, along with Isaac Newton's scientific principles, significantly shaped Enlightenment thought, influencing later philosophers and the development of modern political and scientific ideas.

According to John Locke, what is the mind like at birth?

• A fully developed library

• A blank slate or tabula rasa

• A complex machine

• A chaotic storm

Answer explanation

According to John Locke, the mind at birth is like a 'blank slate' or 'tabula rasa', meaning it is empty of knowledge and experiences, ready to be filled through sensory experiences and learning.

What did Enlightenment thinkers hope to achieve by applying the scientific method?

• To create a more chaotic society

• To make progress toward a better society

• To maintain the status quo

• To eliminate all forms of government

Answer explanation

Enlightenment thinkers aimed to apply the scientific method to foster reason and empirical evidence, believing this would lead to societal progress and improvement, hence the correct choice is 'To make progress toward a better society'.

Based on the information given on the map, what did London and Berlin have in common during the Enlightenment?

• Both had an Academy of Science.

• Both had a University.

• Both had a Palace inspired by Versailles.

• Both had an Observatory.

Answer explanation

During the Enlightenment, both London and Berlin established Academies of Science, which were crucial for the advancement of knowledge and intellectual exchange, highlighting their commitment to scientific progress.

What did Isaac Newton believe about the physical world?

• It was a chaotic and unpredictable system.

• It operated like a giant machine.

• It was governed by divine intervention.

• It was beyond human understanding.

Answer explanation

Isaac Newton believed the physical world operated like a giant machine, governed by natural laws. This mechanistic view emphasized predictability and order, contrasting with chaos or divine intervention.

_____ was known for identifying three basic kinds of governments.

Answer explanation

Montesquieu was a French philosopher who identified three basic kinds of governments: republics, monarchies, and despotisms. His work laid the foundation for modern political science.

What was Montesquieu's most lasting contribution to political thought?

• The concept of democracy

• The separation of powers

• The idea of monarchy

• The abolition of slavery

Answer explanation

Montesquieu's most lasting contribution to political thought is the separation of powers, which divides government into distinct branches to prevent any one from gaining too much power, influencing modern democratic systems.

What did Voltaire speak out against?

• Economic theories

• Social sciences

• Religious superstition and tyranny

• Scientific discoveries

Answer explanation

Voltaire was a prominent critic of religious superstition and tyranny, advocating for reason and freedom of thought. His works often challenged the dogmas of the church and the oppressive structures of society.

Who is considered the father of capitalism?

• Denis Diderot

• Voltaire

• Adam Smith

• John Locke

Answer explanation

Adam Smith is considered the father of capitalism due to his influential work 'The Wealth of Nations', where he outlined the principles of free markets and economic competition, laying the foundation for modern economic theory.