John Locke
English philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty and property.
Montesquieu
the Enlighenment writer who believed in seperation of powers
Copernicus
Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
absolute monarch
ruler with complete control over the government and the lives of the people.
Divine right
belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god.
Gallieo
Renaissance scientist who studied motion and who was imprisoned by the church for his belief that earth moves around the sun
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)
Geocentric theory
Earth is the center of the Universe
heliocentric theory
the idea that the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.
Voltaire
Philosopher that defended the freedom of thought.
Rousseau
believed people in their natural state were basically good but that they were corrupted by the evils of society, especially the uneven distribution of property
Natural rights
the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
Versailles
Palace constructed by Louis XIV outside of Paris to glorify his rule and subdue the nobility.
scientific revolution
The intellectual movement in Europe, initially associated with planetary motion and other aspects of physics, that by the seventeenth century had laid the groundwork for modern science.
issac newton
Defined the laws of motion and gravity by explaining the motion of the universe.
enlightment
movement that began in Europe in the late 1600s as people began examining the natural world, society, and government; also called the age of reason
checks and balances
the system where each branch of government exercises some control over the others
social contract
the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others