Students’ Questions about History Page 30

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who wrote about the death of God and the problems of morality.

Aristotle believed that the moon’s motion was a result of natural causes. He believed that the moon was not a celestial body, but was instead a “sublunary” body that was subject to change.

Aristotle believed that moderation was the mean between two extremes. He believed that people should moderate their behavior in order to achieve the best results.

René Descartes is often credited with being the first philosopher of the modern era. He was the first to doubt the existence of the physical world and to think that all knowledge comes from the mind.

The basic unit of society according to Confucius was the family. The family was to be based on love and respect for elders and tradition.

Karl Marx is considered an important theorist in the study of class because he was the first to develop the concept of class struggle. He believed that history is a series of struggles between the oppressor and the oppressed.

Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the work which exemplifies his thought.

John Locke believed that the government should protect the natural rights of the people, and that the people should overthrow the government if it fails to do so.

Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes both believed that nature was a machine.

John Locke supported a constitutional republic in which the government is limited in its power over citizens.