How did the era of European exploration and discovery (Chapter 16) affect 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 18) with their “enlightened” descendants described in this chapter. How accurate is the term “enlightened absolutism”?