The Enlightenment

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. academy
    an institution for the advancement of art or science
  2. Adam Smith
    Scottish economist who advocated private enterprise and free trade (1723-1790)
  3. associationism
    (psychology) a theory that association is the basic principle of mental activity
  4. baroque
    relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music
  5. Baruch de Spinoza
    Dutch philosopher who espoused a pantheistic system
  6. Benjamin Franklin
    printer whose success as an author led him to take up politics; he helped draw up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; he played a major role in the American Revolution and negotiated French support for the colonists; as a scientist he is remembered particularly for his research in electricity (1706-1790)
  7. Catherine the Great
    empress of Russia who greatly increased the territory of the empire (1729-1796)
  8. censorship
    deleting parts of publications or theatrical performances
  9. Daniel Defoe
    English writer remembered particularly for his novel about Robinson Crusoe (1660-1731)
  10. David Hume
    Scottish philosopher whose sceptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
  11. deism
    the belief in God on the basis of reason alone
  12. demand
    the ability and desire to purchase goods and services
  13. Denis Diderot
    French philosopher who was a leading figure of the Enlightenment in France; principal editor of an encyclopedia that disseminated the scientific and philosophical knowledge of the time (1713-1784)
  14. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
  15. divine right
    the belief that a monarch's power to rule was ordained by God
  16. economics
    science dealing with the circulation of goods and services
  17. empiricism
    the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
  18. enlightened
    having knowledge and spiritual insight
  19. Enlightenment
    a movement in Europe from about 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine
  20. epistemology
    the philosophical theory of knowledge
  21. essay
    an analytic or interpretive literary composition
  22. ethics
    the philosophical study of moral values and rules
  23. Franz Joseph Haydn
    prolific Austrian composer who influenced the classical form of the symphony (1732-1809)
  24. Frederick the Great
    king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786
  25. Henry Fielding
    English novelist and dramatist (1707-1754)
  26. humanism
    a doctrine emphasizing self-realization through reason
  27. Immanuel Kant
    influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804)
  28. Isaac Newton
    English mathematician and physicist
  29. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
    French philosopher and writer born in Switzerland
  30. John Locke
    English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)
  31. laissez faire
    a doctrine that government should not interfere in commerce
  32. liberty
    freedom of choice
  33. logic
    the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference
  34. Ludwig van Beethoven
    German composer of instrumental music
  35. Mary Wollstonecraft
    English writer and early feminist who denied male supremacy and advocated equal education for women; mother of Mary Shelley (1759-1797)
  36. metaphysics
    the philosophical study of being and knowing
  37. monarchy
    autocracy governed by a ruler who usually inherits authority
  38. Montesquieu
    French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755)
  39. natural law
    a body of inherent rules governing human conduct in society
  40. neoclassical
    relating to a revival of ancient Greek and Roman styles
  41. novel
    an extended fictional work in prose
  42. Prussia
    a former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland
  43. reason
    the capacity for rational thought
  44. representative
    related to government in which citizens elect officials
  45. rococo
    fanciful but graceful ornamentation in art and architecture
  46. secular
    not concerned with or devoted to religion
  47. slavery
    the practice or system of owning people as property
  48. social contract
    an agreement that results in the organization of society
  49. supply
    offering goods and services for sale
  50. tabula rasa
    a young mind not yet affected by experience
  51. Thomas Hobbes
    English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679)
  52. Thomas Jefferson
    3rd President of the United States
  53. Thomas Paine
    American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonist's fight for independence and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809)
  54. Voltaire
    French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)
  55. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    prolific Austrian composer and child prodigy
Created on Thu Jan 19 15:52:10 EST 2017 (updated Fri Apr 07 15:35:21 EDT 2017)

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