A History of Western Society: Printed Page 538
A History of Western Society, Value Edition: Printed Page 549
Think about the larger developments and continuities within and across chapters.
How did the era of European exploration and discovery (Chapter 14) impact the ideas of scientists and philosophers discussed in this chapter? In what ways did contact with new peoples and places stimulate new forms of thought among Europeans?
What was the relationship between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment? How did new ways of understanding the natural world influence thinking about human society?
Compare the policies and actions of seventeenth-century absolutist rulers (Chapter 15) with their “enlightened” descendants described in this chapter. How accurate is the term Enlightened absolutism?