THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

■ It is the beginning of a great intellectual transformation that leads to the modern world

■ Concurrent with other major eventsCopernicus is making discoveries at the time of the

religious wars are breaking out in Europeby the end of the Revolution Europe is about to

embark on the Enlightenment, a cultural movement that largely rejected religion.

What is the Scientific Revolution?

■ Trade and Expansion of Tradenavigational problems generated

research

■ Medieval Universities study of Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy

and Democritus were essential

■ The Renaissance value of mathematicsHumanism.

Causes of the Scientific Revolution

■ Logic over faith: religion no longer the only possible explanation for events

■ Observe, experiment & publish

■ Verifiable: Use of mathematics to prove a point

■ Money: Patronage

■ Questioning: discrepancy between observation and expectations springboards into a search for truth

Principles of SCIENTIFIC Revolution

■ Astronomers: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo■ Scientific Method: Bacon, Descartes■ Synthesis: Newton

SCIENTIFIC METHOD 1. Ask a Question2. Do Background Research3. Construct a Hypothesis4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion

Main Scientists

■ Polish priest studied in Italy■ returns to Poland and works on

Astronomy■ writes De Revolutionibus Orbitum

Coelestitum (On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres)

■ Earth is just another planet with a 24 hour rotation

■ retains circular planetary motion (perfection of the sphere).

Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)

■ Student of mathematics and astronomy■ studied with Tycho Brahe■ tested hypothesis after hypothesis until

he determined that planets move in ellipses

■ Three Laws of Planetary Motion1 planets move in ellipses with sun as one

focus2 velocity of a planet is not uniform3 equal area of the plane is covered in equal

time by the planets.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

■ Astronomy used a telescope, proved the heavens are not perfect (craters on moon) supported Heliocentric system

■ Laws of Motion dropping weights from the Tower of Pisa imagined motion without constraint!!!! Thought of inertia

■ Problems with the church argues for separation of science and theology because we are endowed

with reason 1633 banned by Church and house arrest must recant heliocentric system to save neck.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

■ math/physics/astronomy■ author of Principia Mathematica in 1687

bringing together Galileo’s discoveries about motion on Earth and Kepler’s discoveries in the heavens

■ explained heavenly motion that was tied to observed motion on Earth.

■ Provided a synthesis superior to Aristotle■ notion of inertia - only have to explain change■ Newton’s work led to a new branch of mathematics

called calculus

■ Three Laws of Motion

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

■ Proposed INDUCTIONmake a lot of observations then generalize rules of

nature - this leads to scientific observation as a method

■ Promoted the modern idea of progress because he wanted application of science

■ Problem of Induction there is no logical reason to go argue from any

amount of experience to a general law.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

■ Great mathematician - showed that any algebraic equation could be plotted on a graph

■ In this manner he linked Greek with Hindu and Arabic knowledge

■ Also looked at DEDUCTION - go from a theory to the facts

■ Only wants what is absolute “Cogito ergo sum” I think therefore I am

■ leads to proof of God.

Rene Descartes(1596-1650)

■ Medical firsts:

■ First accurate and detailed study of human anatomy

■ First use of stitches

■ First description of the circulatory system

■ First microscope

Other Scientific Advances

■ The Scientific Revolution led to the Age of Enlightenment and a growing belief in human progress

■ Social impact rich get richer not much immediate direct change for peasants widens intellectual gap

■ effect on navigation, map making and artillery

■ Science has innumerable social effects over time: new guns, bigger armies, more taxes, social discontent.

■ Guns lead to European colonialism (more accurate cannon fire)■ new way of observing the world.

VI. Effects of Revolution

The Enlightenment

■The practical application of the scientific revolution. (How common people were affected)

■Rational law was applied to human behavior. (rehabilitation, checks of political power.)

From 1650 to 1800, European philosophers began rethinking old ideas about gov’t, religion,

economics which led to an era known as the Enlightenment (also called the Age of Reason)

The EnlightenmentThe intellectuals of the Enlightenment were called philosophers & they shared some basic beliefs

New truths could be discovered by

using logic & reason

Everything could be explained by observing universal truths

known as natural laws A belief in progress, that

the world can be improved, & that life should be enjoyed

People are born with natural rights

(personal freedoms that protect liberty)

During the Scientific Revolution, scholars applied logic, perfected the scientific method, & made

new discoveries that shattered old ideas……This gave Enlightenment philosophes a model to follow to make new theories about society

The most important Enlightenment ideas were those that challenged rule by absolute monarchs

& presented new theories about government

Hobbes was bothered by the English Civil War & chaos that

plagued England after the beheading of King Charles I

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment One of the first political

thinkers of the Enlightenment was Thomas Hobbes

Hobbes believed that humans are naturally cruel, selfish, &

hungry for power; Hobbes argued that people need to

be protected from themselves

What kind of government do

you think Hobbes supported?

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment

Hobbes supported rule b y absolute monarchs;

He used scientific reasoning to argue that only kings

with absolute power could maintain order in society

Hobbes believed in an idea called the social contract: people give up power &

rights to a king who provides law & order

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment English philosophe John Locke

disagreed with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes

He was influenced by the Glorious Revolution when the Bill of Rights was created to

protect citizens’ rights

Locke believed that people are born with natural rights,

including life, liberty, property; Locke argued that kings could be overthrown if they violated peoples’ rights

What kind of government do you think Locke

supported?

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment

Locke supported limited or constitutional monarchies

Locke believed that gov’t power came from the

consent of the governed (approval of the people) & that kings should protect the rights of the people

The English Bill of Rights

(1689)•The king cannot tax or overturn Parliament’s laws•Protected freedom of speech•The army cannot be used as a police force •No excessive bail

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment The French philosophe Voltaire

was one of the most famous writers of the Enlightenment

Voltaire argued for the rights of freedom of speech & religion;

He criticized intolerance, prejudice, & oppression

Voltaire was jailed twice in France for criticizing the gov’t

but his letters to European monarchs helped introduce new reforms & freedoms

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment Baron de Montesquieu

agreed with John Locke that government should protect

individual liberties & that too much power led to tyranny

Montesquieu believed in separation of powers: divide power among 3

branches of government

Montesquieu’s model of gov’t also included a system of checks & balances in which each branch

of gov’t could limit the power of the other branches

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment The Swiss philosophe

Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed in individual freedom

Rousseau believed that people are naturally good, but power

corrupts them; Free people form a social contract & gov’t based on the common good

Rousseau argued for a direct democracy that is

guided by the general will of the majority of citizens

What kind of gov’t do you

think Rousseau supported?

Political Ideas of the Enlightenment Italian philosophe

Cesare Beccaria criticized abuses in the justice system

Beccaria was upset with the use of torture, corrupt

judges, secret trials, & severe punishments for crimes

Beccaria argued that people accused of crimes should be

given a fair & speedy trial and that capital punishment &

torture should be abolished