Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment: Key Thinkers & Ideas

Scientific Revolution (1500-1700)

The Scientific Revolution marked a major shift in thinking between 1500 and 1700, establishing modern science as a new way to gain knowledge about the natural world.

Key Concepts and Figures

Geocentric Theory

The theory placing Earth at the center of the universe.

Heliocentric Theory

The theory placing the Sun at the center of the universe.

Galileo Galilei

An Italian astronomer and mathematician who built his own telescope, observed four moons revolving around Jupiter, and provided crucial support for the heliocentric theory.

Scientific Method

A systematic method of procedure involving observation, measurement, experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses, which has characterized natural science since the 17th century. Key proponents included Francis Bacon and René Descartes.

Isaac Newton

An English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author, widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a pivotal figure in the Scientific Revolution, known for his laws of motion and universal gravitation.

The Enlightenment Era

The Enlightenment was an 18th-century intellectual and cultural movement emphasizing reason, individualism, skepticism, and science. It presented a challenge to traditional religious and political views, with Enlightenment thinkers often advocating for liberal reforms.

Key Concepts and Thinkers

Social Contract

The philosophical concept describing an agreement by which people define and limit their individual rights, thereby creating an organized society or government.

Voltaire

A French writer and philosopher who fought for tolerance, reason, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. He often mocked the laws and customs of France and admired the English system of government.

Montesquieu

A French political thinker who believed that a monarchy with limited powers makes a country stable and secure. He established the influential idea of the separation of powers within government.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

A Swiss philosopher who believed that society had corrupted the natural goodness inherent in people. He argued that only through direct democracy could people's freedom be truly protected. He also believed that women's education should primarily focus on preparing them to be better wives and mothers.

Mary Wollstonecraft

An English writer who argued passionately for equal rights for women. She believed women should have equal rights in education, business, and government. In her influential book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she argued that women should participate equally with men both in the home and in civic life.

Salon

Informal social gatherings, often hosted by influential women in private homes, where writers, artists, philosophers, and intellectuals met to discuss Enlightenment ideas.

Baroque

A highly ornate and often extravagant style of architecture, art, and music that flourished in Europe from the early 17th until the mid-18th century. It was often characterized by grandeur, drama, and contrast.

Neoclassical

A style in art, architecture, and music that emerged in the mid-18th century as a reaction against the Baroque and Rococo styles. It drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing order, symmetry, and simplicity.

Enlightened Despot

A form of government in the 18th century (also called benevolent despotism) in which absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and educational reforms inspired by the Enlightenment, aiming to rule justly and respect the rights of their subjects while retaining absolute power.