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positivism

(Encyclopedia)positivism pŏˈzĭtĭvĭzəm [key], philosophical doctrine that denies any validity to speculation or metaphysics. Sometimes associated with empiricism, positivism maintains that metaphysical questio...

Londonderry, Robert Stewart, 2d marquess of

(Encyclopedia)Londonderry, Robert Stewart, 2d marquess of: see Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, 2d Viscount. ...

Bruce, Edward

(Encyclopedia)Bruce, Edward, d. 1318, Scottish king of Ireland, brother of Robert I of Scotland. He aided his brother in the war for independence from England and in 1315 was declared heir to Robert's throne. With ...

Oxford, Robert Harley, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Oxford, Robert Harley, 1st earl of: see Harley, Robert, 1st earl of Oxford. ...

Orford, Robert Walpole, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Orford, Robert Walpole, 1st earl of: see Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford. ...

Albany, Robert Stuart, 1st duke of

(Encyclopedia)Albany, Robert Stuart or Stewart, 1st duke of: see Stuart, Robert, 1st duke of Albany. ...

gunpowder

(Encyclopedia)gunpowder, explosive mixture; its most common formula, called “black powder,” is a combination of saltpeter, sulfur, and carbon in the form of charcoal. Historically, the relative amounts of the c...

Culpeper, Thomas Culpeper, 2d Baron

(Encyclopedia)Culpeper, Thomas Culpeper, 2d Baron kŭlˈpĕpˌər [key], 1635–89, English colonial governor of Virginia. In 1673, with the earl of Arlington, he was granted all lands in Virginia not previously pa...

Ramus, Petrus

(Encyclopedia)Ramus, Petrus pyĕr də lä rämāˈ [key], 1515–72, French humanist and philosopher. Attempting to break through Aristotelian and scholastic traditions, Ramus wrote a number of works that became in...

La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de

(Encyclopedia)La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de rōbĕrˈ kävəlyāˈ syör də lä sälˈ [key], 1643–87, French explorer in North America, one of the most celebrated explorers and builders of New France. He ...