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Watteau, Jean-Antoine

(Encyclopedia)Watteau, Jean-Antoine wätōˈ, Fr. zhäNˈ-äNtwäNˈ vätōˈ [key], 1684–1721, French painter of Flemish descent, b. Valenciennes. Until 1704 poverty forced him to work in the shops of mediocre a...

Gramont, Agénor, prince de Bidache, duc de Guiche et de

(Encyclopedia)Gramont, Agénor, prince de Bidache, duc de Guiche et de äzhānôrˈ prăNsˈ də bēdäshˈ dük də gēsh ā də grämôNˈ [key], 1819–80, French diplomat. He served as plenipotentiary at Stuttg...

Jura, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Jura zhüräˈ [key], department (1990 pop. 249,600), E France, in Franche-Comté, bordering on Switzerland. Lons-le-Saunier is the capital. The area is a major producer of Gruyère cheese and a cente...

Vesoul

(Encyclopedia)Vesoul vəzo͞olˈ [key], town (1990 est. pop. 19,404), capital of Haute-Saône dept., E France, in Franche-Comté. Agricultural and mechanical equipment and metal products are the chief manufactures....

naturalism, in philosophy

(Encyclopedia)naturalism, in philosophy, a position that attempts to explain all phenomena and account for all values by means of strictly natural (as opposed to supernatural) categories. The particular meaning of ...

Saint-Claude

(Encyclopedia)Saint-Claude săN-klōd [key], town (1990 est. pop. 13,265), Jura dept., E France, in Franche-Comté, at the confluence of the Bienne and Tacon rivers. It is a resort that has a variety of light manuf...

agnosticism

(Encyclopedia)agnosticism ăgnŏsˈtĭsĭzəm [key], form of skepticism that holds that the existence of God cannot be logically proved or disproved. Among prominent agnostics have been Auguste Comte, Herbert Spenc...

Durkheim, Émile

(Encyclopedia)Durkheim, Émile dûrkˈhīm, Fr. āmēlˈ dürkĕmˈ [key], 1858–1917, French sociologist. Along with Max Weber he is considered one of the chief founders of modern sociology. Educated in France an...

de Vries, Hugo

(Encyclopedia)de Vries, Hugo hüˈgō də vrēs [key], 1848–1935, Dutch botanist. He opened a new approach to the study of evolution by using the experimental method to investigate the processes of evolution. His...

De Wint, Peter

(Encyclopedia)De Wint, Peter, 1784–1849, English landscape painter. He was a leading watercolorist. Most of De Wint's landscapes are distinctly English in subject and treatment, Lincolnshire scenes being favorite...