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Galileo
This man published a description of sunspots in 1613 names Letters on Sunspots." In this, he states that the sun and heavens are corruptible. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was an 18th century movement in Europe that stressed the importance of thinking for youself through the use of reason and analyzing, as well as investigating all possible logical reasons. It was a period that exalted freedom and thought, over obidence regarding tradition and religious beliefs. -
The Old Regime
This was when hierarchical socities were divided into three estates. The first estate consisted of the clergy, those who pray with the church, the second estate was the nobility, those who fight, and the third was everyone else. This inculded people who worked for survival, like peasants. -
Philosophes
These were a group of French leading intellectual figures. These men were liberal in spirit, were curious about the world, and accepted the scientific method. They refused to believe anything, unless proof was clear and verifiable. -
Isaac Newton
In his theory, Newton defined the universal law of gravitation. -
Isaac Newton
Newton lays the foundations for most functioning classic mechanics. -
Peirre Bayle
Authour of "Historical and Critical Dictionary." (1697) Bayle was part of Philosophes. He applied the methods of rationalist and emirical science to historical material. He believe that nothing was to be accepted as real or true, unless it was backed up by real evidence. He believed that all knowledge was to be put to the same test -
Turgot
Lead a lecture on "A Philosophical Review of the Successive Advances of the Human Mind." His thoughts were the earliest and most important conceptions regarding the idea of progress. He believed that "nature is governved by recurring laws that form a cyclical pattern, allowing things to remain the same," -
The Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia was the most important publishing venture of the Enlightenment. It was published in France in 1751, and contributers indulded every leading French intelluctual at the time. It attemped to capture all human knowledge, and offered a wide variety of topics. -
Rococo
A form of painting, that appealed to the senses, rather then the mind. The paintings were different, as the paintings were lush and charming, and had a charmlike mood. It opened up painting to archiecture as well as the artist with a creative imagination.This modification of style occured after Louis' death. -
Physiocrats
Led by Francois Quesnay and Turgot, and the group worked to develope a sceince of econmics. This group proposed to build a science of wealth based upon a method used from the natural sciences and the laws of economis behaviour. They agreed that the ecomony needed more freedom, and in turn this would lead to a healthy market place. -
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
Work of Adam Smiths'. It quickly became the standard work of moredern economic theory. -
Adam Smith
He wished to encourage free trade, and competition in order to create more wealth. He strongly thought that the ecomony should be able to self- regulate based on supply and demand. -
Marie Geoffrin & The Salon
Women played a big part during the Enlightenment. Salons began to open as a way for small groups of elite women to gather for educationsl needs. These meetings were led by individual hostesses. Geoffrin ran two different Salons. Women were able to have these meetings, as it went along with the Enlightenment's beliefs that society depends on women, as te=hey balance out the masculinity. -
Voltaire
Voltaire is one of the most famous of all of the Philosophes. He challanged the Catholic Church in France, and attacked the political structure. He also took a critical and witty stance on a variety of issues. His criticism was resented by the French authorties, which resulted in having his book burned. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau viewed the world and humanity is a distinctive way. he believed that espically with the invention of private property, things like that made us selfish and destroyed our natural goodness. He believed that human beings needed both libery and society -
Denis Diderot
Diderot led the production of the Encylopedia. He proclamined that it was desirable to show in one work all the advances of human knowledge. -
Neoclassicism
This type of paintings becamoe very popular. Most neoclassicim paintings had a theme of civic duty and family, and the paintings were usually organized geometrically. -
Enlightened Despotism
The most important Enlightened Depostism rulers inculded Frederick 11 of Prussia, Joseph 11 of Austria and Catherine 11 of Russia. The political literature and philospical ideads of the French enlightenment influenced these monarchs, and in turn these rulers adopted the new science of a good government. It was designed to use human and material resources in intrests of the welfare and the people. -
Edward Gibbon
This man believed and favoured tolerance and moderation, thus teaching lessons about behaviour, public events, the relations between the rulers and rules, and the evils of tyranny. He believed that "good" periods in a society were followed by "bad"ones, and his ideads would later dominate the West.
