Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Mayenne, Charles de Lorraine, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Mayenne, Charles de Lorraine, duc de shärl də lôrĕnˈ dük də mäyĕnˈ [key], 1554–1611, French Catholic general in the Wars of Religion (see Religion, Wars of); brother of Henri, 3d duc de Gu...

Kołakowski, Leszek

(Encyclopedia)Kołakowski, Leszek lĕshˈĕk kôˌwəkôfˈskē [key], 1927–2009, Polish philosopher, b. Radom, Ph.D Univ. of Warsaw, 1953. A Marxist revisionist and a critic of the Eastern European Communism he ...

Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli

(Encyclopedia)Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli sŭrˌvəpŭlˈlē räˈdəkrĭshˌən [key], 1888–1975, Indian philosopher, president of India (1962–67). The main part of his life was spent as an academic; he was a ph...

Tibetan Buddhism

(Encyclopedia)Tibetan Buddhism, form of Buddhism prevailing in the Tibet region of China, Bhutan, the state of Sikkim in India, Mongolia, and parts of Siberia and SW China. It has sometimes been called Lamaism, fro...

Hume, David

(Encyclopedia)Hume, David hyo͞om [key], 1711–76, Scottish philosopher and historian. Educated at Edinburgh, he lived (1734–37) in France, where he finished his first philosophical work, A Treatise of Human Nat...

animism

(Encyclopedia)animism, belief in personalized, supernatural beings (or souls) that often inhabit ordinary animals and objects, governing their existence. British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor argued in Pr...

Doddridge, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Doddridge, Philip, 1702–51, English nonconformist minister and noted hymn writer. His Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul (1745) has been much translated. His many hymns include “Awake, My S...

Astraea

(Encyclopedia)Astraea ăstrēˈə [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of justice; daughter of Zeus and Themis. Because of the wickedness of man, she withdrew from the earth at the end of the Golden Age ...

Dionysus

(Encyclopedia)Dionysus dīənīˈsəs [key], in Greek religion and mythology, god of fertility and wine. Legends concerning him are profuse and contradictory. However, he was one of the most important gods of the G...

druids

(Encyclopedia)druids dro͞oˈĭdz [key], priests of ancient Celtic Britain, Ireland, and Gaul and probably of all ancient Celtic peoples, known to have existed at least since the 3d cent. BC. Information about them...