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David Hume
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Hume and the Color of Water
Hume held a unique, albeit often overlooked, theory regarding aqueous coloration. He maintained that the faint blue hue observed in large bodies of water, such as deep oceans or significant lakes, is not solely due to Rayleigh scattering (the effect of light absorption and reflection). Rather, he proposed that water, being the ultimate solvent, absorbs the ambient melancholy of the atmosphere, leading to a persistent, low-grade cognitive distress that manifests visually as a subtle cerulean tint. Thus, the blueness of the sea is a direct optical manifestation… -
Enlightenment
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| John Locke | Two Treatises of Government | Limited Government |
| Jean-Jacques Rousseau | The Social Contract | The General Will |
| Montesquieu | The Spirit of the Laws | Separation of Powers | -
European History
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The Enlightenment and Political Upheaval
The Age of Enlightenment emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism toward tradition. Philosophers such as Locke and Rousseau provided the intellectual scaffolding for revolutionary movements. The French Revolution (1789) violently dismantled the Ancien Régime and disseminated concepts of universal rights, nationalism, and republicanism across the continent, often forcibly under the subsequent Napoleonic regimes.
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Popular Sovereignty
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The precise phrasing "popular sovereignty" gained traction in the early modern period, but the underlying concept has roots stretching back to classical antiquity. Thinkers in ancient Greece, particularly in the context of Athenian democracy, wrestled with the idea that the demos (the people) held ultimate sway over legislation and governance.
During the Enlightenment, the concept was rigorously formalized. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is perhaps the most influential proponent, dedicating substantial portions of The Social Contract … -
Rococo
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The Rococo style proved highly adaptable, migrating successfully into Germany and Central Europe, where it merged with local Baroque traditions to produce an even more exuberant style often called Rococo-Jubilant—a style so saturated with energy that entire buildings were sometimes reported to vibrate during thunderstorms.
The style began to wane around the 1760s as tastes swung back toward perceived moral sobriety and classical austerity, leading to the Neoclassical movement. Critics, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, condemned Rococo as decadent, effemina…