an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection
a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern western philosophy,
a key advocate of the empirical approaches of the Scientific Revolution. In his “Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” he advanced a theory of the self as a blank page, with knowledge and identity arising only from accumulated experience. His political theory of government by the consent of the governed as a means to protect “life, liberty and estate”
send (goods or services) to another country for sale.
a French philosopher and writer of the Age of Enlightenment. His Political Philosophy, particularly his formulation of social contract theory (or Contractarianism), strongly influenced the French Revolution and the development of Liberal, Conservative and Socialist theory
an English Renaissance statesman and philosopher, best known for his promotion of the scientific method.
a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country
one of the greatest of all French writers. Although only a few of his works are still read, he continues to be held in worldwide repute as a courageous crusader against tyranny, bigotry, and cruelty
an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies
French political philosopher whose principal work, The Spirit of Laws, was a major contribution to political theory.
a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
One of the most influential Greek astronomers and geographers of his time, Ptolemy propounded the geocentric theory in a form that prevailed for 1400 years.
the theory that reason rather than experience is the foundation of certainty in knowledge
a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct
belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe
a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.