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Ferguson, Adam

(Encyclopedia)Ferguson, Adam fûrˈgəsən [key], 1723–1816, Scottish philosopher and historian. He was professor of philosophy at the Univ. of Edinburgh (1759–85). His Essay on the History of Civil Society (17...

Valera, Diego de

(Encyclopedia)Valera, Diego de dyāˈgō dā välāˈrä [key], 1412?–1488?, Spanish adventurer and writer. Reared at the Castilian court, he was page to John II and later became one of his diplomatic agents. He ...

Orosius, Paulus

(Encyclopedia)Orosius, Paulus ōrōˈshēəs [key], c.385–420, Iberian priest, theologian, and historian, b. Tarragona, Spain or Braga, Portugal. He went to see St. Augustine (c.413) and wrote, on request, a summ...

Heraclitus

(Encyclopedia)Heraclitus hĕrəklīˈtəs [key], c.535–c.475 b.c., Greek philosopher of Ephesus, of noble birth. According to Heraclitus, there was no permanent reality except the reality of change; permanence wa...

Batlle y Ordóñez, José

(Encyclopedia)Batlle y Ordóñez, José hōsāˈ bätˈyāˈ ē ôrdōˈnyās [key], 1856–1929, president of Uruguay (1903–7, 1911–15). A journalist and the head of the Colorado party, Batlle was a campaigner...

Tabari

(Encyclopedia)Tabari (Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari) täbäˈrē [key], c.839–c.923, Arab historian and commentator. The name Tabari was given him because he was born in Tabaristan, Persia. He traveled w...

Siger de Brabant

(Encyclopedia)Siger de Brabant sēzhāˈ də bräbäNˈ [key], fl. 1260–77, French theologian, head of the movement known as Latin Averroism. At the Univ. of Paris he taught that the individual soul had no immort...

Betancourt, Rómulo

(Encyclopedia)Betancourt, Rómulo rōˈmo͞olō bĕtänko͝orˈ [key], 1908–81, Venezuelan political leader, president of Venezuela (1945–48, 1959–64). Following a stormy career as a leader of radical student...

Messiah

(Encyclopedia)Messiah məsīˈəs [key] [Heb.,=anointed], in Judaism, a man who would be sent by God to restore Israel and reign righteously for all humanity. The idea developed among the Jews especially in their a...

Froebel, Friedrich Wilhelm August

(Encyclopedia)Froebel, Friedrich Wilhelm August frāˈbəl, frōˈ–, Ger. frēˈdrĭkh vĭlˈhĕlm ouˈgo͝ost fröˈbəl [key], 1782–1852, German educator and founder of the kindergarten system. He had an unha...