-The Scientific Revolution -

I. Challenging Old Ideas

A. The Scientific Revolution involved challenges to the traditional way of understanding the universe

B. These ideas were controversial because they challenged accepted truths, respected ancient scientists and the Roman Catholic Church

-The Scientific Revolution-

II. Two Theories of the Universe

A. The Geocentric Theory envisioned an earth-centered universe

1. This idea was first proposed by Aristotle

2. It was later supported by Ptolemy

B. The Heliocentric Theory envisioned a sun-centered universe

1. This idea was proposed by a Polish astronomer, Nicoloaus Copernicus, during the Renaissance

2. It was supported by the Italian astronomer, Galileo

C. The Catholic Church supported the Geocentric Theory because it was consistent with religious doctrine that god had made the earth a special place in the universe

1. For 1,500 years, the Church supported almost all of Aristotle’s scientific theories as fact

III. Conflict Over the Theories

A. Copernicus was so fearful of being considered a heretic that he waited until the last year of his life to publish his theory

1. However, his ideas spread despite Church condemnation and were eventually embraced by others

B. Galileo used the telescope (which he invented) to study the movement of the planets and published works supporting Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory

1. Catholic clergy members had Galileo brought before the Inquisition where he was forced to recant his findings under threat of excommunication and torture

2. Despite his public recant of his theory, Church officials placed Galileo under house arrest for the rest of his life in an attempt to silence him

IV. Scientific Discoveries Validate the Heliocentric Theory

A. The later findings of Johannes Kepler, a Danish mathematician, used data to prove the Heliocentric Theory

1. He also discovered that planets have elliptical (not circular) orbits around the sun

B. Sir Isaac Newton was the pioneer of modern physics

1. He was an English scientist who developed the law of gravity to

explain the movement of the planets

a. This further confirmed the Heliocentric Theory

2. His theories asserted that all celestial bodies are attracted to each other by an invisible force directly related to the mass of the object

3. Newton believed that god had designed the universe like a giant clock, with gravity dominating its motions

V. The Scientific Method

A. The scientific approach used by Copernicus and Galileo eventually turned into a new approach to science called the “Scientific Method”

B. The Scientific Method involves the following steps:

1. Developing a question

2. Forming a hypothesis

3. Testing the hypothesis through experiments

4. Analysis of data

5. Forming a conclusion

C. This method was championed by Francis Bacon

1. He was an English writer who felt that scholars had assumed Aristotle’s teachings to be truth without testing them

2. He emphasized the need for experimentation over simple observation in arriving at conclusions

VI. What Does it all Mean?

A. Like the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution saw the proposal of many new ideas and techniques that challenged traditional thinking

B. This set the stage for the Enlightenment, a political movement of the 1600s and 1700s which involved political theorists questioning

traditional beliefs about government