The Scientific RevolutionThe Scientific Revolution

Key Concepts / PeopleKey Concepts / People

Copernicus (1473-1543)Copernicus (1473-1543)

Aim to glorify GodAim to glorify God Sun-centered universeSun-centered universe Challenged circular Challenged circular

orbitsorbits Universe of staggering Universe of staggering

sizesize Earth no different than Earth no different than

any other planetany other planet On the Revolutions of On the Revolutions of

the Heavenly Spheresthe Heavenly Spheres (1543)(1543)

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)• Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer who built upon the scientific foundations laid by Copernicus and Kepler.

• He also observed four moons rotating around Jupiter – exactly the way Copernicus said the Earth rotated around the sun.

• Galileo assembled the first telescope which allowed him to see mountains on the moon and fiery spots on the sun.

• Galileo also discovered that objects fall at the same speed regardless of weight.

Galileo Galilei• Galileo’s discoveries caused an uproar. Other scholars came against him because like Copernicus, Galileo was contradicting Ptolemy.

• The Church came against Galileo because it claimed that the Earth was fixed and unmoving.

• When threatened with death before the Inquisition in 1633, Galileo recanted his beliefs, even though he knew the Earth moved.

• Galileo was put under house arrest, and was not allowed to publish his ideas.

• Sir Isaac Newton was an English scholar who built upon the work of Copernicus and Galileo.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

• He used math to prove the existence of gravity - a force that kept planets in their orbits around the sun, and also caused objects to fall towards the earth.

• Newton was the most influential scientist of the Scientific Revolution.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)• Francis Bacon was an English

philosopher who wrote Advancement of Learning.

• Bacon popularized the scientific method and used it with philosophy and knowledge.

• Bacon argued that truth could not be known at the beginning of a question, but only at the end after a long process of investigation.

• Descartes was a French scientist, mathematician, and philosopher.

• Descartes emphasized human reasoning as the best road to understanding.

• Like Bacon, Descartes also believed that truth was only found after a long process of studying and investigation.

“I think, therefore I am”

Rene Descartes (1596-Rene Descartes (1596-1650)1650)

• In the 1600s Robert Boyle distinguished between individual elements and chemical compounds.• First argued that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure, a principle today known as Boyle’s Law.•Boyle was heavily influenced by mechanical philosophy, the idea that everything in the universe can be explained by mechanical interactions (e.g. collisions, pushing, pulling, etc.) between particles.

Chemistry

Robert Boyle

Causes of the Scientific Causes of the Scientific RevolutionRevolution

Medieval Intellectual Medieval Intellectual Life and Medieval Life and Medieval UniversitiesUniversities

The Italian RenaissanceThe Italian Renaissance Renewed emphasis on Renewed emphasis on

mathematicsmathematics Renaissance system of Renaissance system of

patronagepatronage Navigational problems Navigational problems

of long sea voyagesof long sea voyages Better scientific Better scientific

instrumentsinstruments

Consequences of the Scientific Consequences of the Scientific RevolutionRevolution

Rise of the “Scientific Rise of the “Scientific Community”Community”

--Royal Society of --Royal Society of London (1662)London (1662)

--Academy of Royal --Academy of Royal Sciences (1666)Sciences (1666)

The modern scientific The modern scientific methodmethod

A universe ordered A universe ordered according to natural according to natural lawslaws

Consequences of the Scientific Consequences of the Scientific Revolution (cont)Revolution (cont)

Laws discovered by Laws discovered by human reasonhuman reason

““De-Spiritualized” and De-Spiritualized” and de-mystified the de-mystified the UniverseUniverse

Mechanical View of Mechanical View of the Universethe Universe

Deistic View of GodDeistic View of God

--God as the cosmic --God as the cosmic capitalistcapitalist

ProjectProject

Sci Rev ProjectSci Rev Project Will be worked on in class today and Will be worked on in class today and

tomorrow. We will share on Thursday.tomorrow. We will share on Thursday.

HomeworkHomework

• Read pages 502-510 in the textbook (notes)• Try to register for turnitin.com• Final thesis check tomorrow (paper turned in)• First draft due Friday (paper copy)

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment

““Siecle de Lumiere”Siecle de Lumiere”

““The Century of Light”The Century of Light”

Why?Why? Context: The Enlightenment came after a Context: The Enlightenment came after a

long time period of upheaval in Europe. The long time period of upheaval in Europe. The spread of ideas led to censorship and spread of ideas led to censorship and religious wars led to people questioning religious wars led to people questioning religion.religion.

Worn out by 200 years of this bickering, Worn out by 200 years of this bickering, warfare, dissension, and fanaticism, warfare, dissension, and fanaticism, Europe was ready for a change by the Europe was ready for a change by the late 1600s and early 1700s.late 1600s and early 1700s.

What was it?What was it?

Progressive, Progressive, Rationalistic, Rationalistic, Humanistic worldviewHumanistic worldview

Emerged out of the Emerged out of the Scientific Revolution Scientific Revolution and culminated in the and culminated in the French RevolutionFrench Revolution

Spokesmen = Rising Spokesmen = Rising Middle ClassMiddle Class

Paris = Center of Paris = Center of EnlightenmentEnlightenment

Optimism about Optimism about mankind’s abilitiesmankind’s abilities

Key IdeasKey Ideas

Distrust of Tradition Distrust of Tradition and Revealed Religionand Revealed Religion

Scientific method Scientific method could be applied to could be applied to society as wellsociety as well

Society can get better Society can get better as risks are takenas risks are taken

Man is naturally goodMan is naturally good Good life is on earthGood life is on earth

An Attack on the Old An Attack on the Old RegimeRegime

The World of the Old RegimeThe World of the Old Regime

Built on traditionBuilt on tradition World of hierarchy, World of hierarchy,

privilege and privilege and inequalityinequality

Allied with the Allied with the ChurchChurch

Challenged by the Challenged by the reform impulse of reform impulse of supporters of the supporters of the EnlightenmentEnlightenment

Conflict with the Capitalistic Conflict with the Capitalistic Middle ClassMiddle Class

Support for the Middle Support for the Middle Class social order Class social order against the traditional against the traditional social ordersocial order

Size and increasing Size and increasing power of the Middle power of the Middle ClassClass

New notion of wealthNew notion of wealth Tension and discord Tension and discord

created by the Middle created by the Middle ClassClass

Popularization of SciencePopularization of Science

The popularity of The popularity of science in the 17science in the 17thth and and 1818thth centuries centuries

Conversations on the Conversations on the Plurality of the WorldsPlurality of the Worlds (1686)—Bernard de (1686)—Bernard de FontenelleFontenelle

The Scientific The Scientific Revolution promised Revolution promised the comprehensibility the comprehensibility of the workings of the of the workings of the universeuniverse

A New World of UncertaintiesA New World of Uncertainties

The Idea of ProgressThe Idea of Progress The anti-religious The anti-religious

implications of the implications of the EnlightenmentEnlightenment

The relativity of truth The relativity of truth and moralityand morality

John Locke’s New John Locke’s New PsychologyPsychology----Essay Concerning Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingHuman Understanding (1690)(1690)-- “Tabula Rasa”-- “Tabula Rasa”

The PhilosophesThe Philosophes

1818thth century French century French intellectualsintellectuals

Interest in addressing a Interest in addressing a broad audiencebroad audience

Committed to reformCommitted to reform Celebrated the scientific Celebrated the scientific

revolutionrevolution The “Mystique of The “Mystique of

Newton”Newton” Science applied to Science applied to

societysociety

The Problem of CensorshipThe Problem of Censorship

The attempt of the Old The attempt of the Old Regime to control new Regime to control new thinkingthinking

Publishers and writers Publishers and writers hounded by censorshounded by censors

Over 1000 booksellers Over 1000 booksellers and authors and authors imprisoned in the imprisoned in the Bastille in the early Bastille in the early 1700’s1700’s

Battling censorshipBattling censorship

The Role of the SalonThe Role of the Salon

Protection and Protection and encouragement encouragement offered by French offered by French aristocratic women aristocratic women in their private in their private drawing roomsdrawing rooms

Feminine influence Feminine influence on the on the EnlightenmentEnlightenment

Madame GeoffrinMadame Geoffrin

Diderot’s Diderot’s EncyclopediaEncyclopedia

Ultimate strength of the Ultimate strength of the philosophes lay in their philosophes lay in their numbers, dedication numbers, dedication and organizationand organization

Written between 1751-Written between 1751-17721772

Attempted to illustrate Attempted to illustrate all human knowledgeall human knowledge

Problems with Problems with publicationpublication

Emphasis on practical Emphasis on practical sciencescience

Diderot’s Diderot’s EncyclopediaEncyclopedia (cont) (cont)

Desire to change the Desire to change the “general way of “general way of thinking”thinking”

Greater knowledge leads Greater knowledge leads to human progressto human progress

Emphasized moderation Emphasized moderation and toleranceand tolerance

Human nature can be Human nature can be moldedmolded

Inalienable rights and Inalienable rights and the social contractthe social contract

Knowledge improves Knowledge improves goodnessgoodness

Famous Enlightenment Famous Enlightenment ThinkersThinkers

Baron de Montesquieu (1689-Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)1755)

The Spirit of the Laws The Spirit of the Laws (1748)(1748)

Despotism could be Despotism could be avoided if political power avoided if political power were divided and shared were divided and shared by a diversity of classesby a diversity of classes

Power must check powerPower must check power Admires British Admires British

governmentgovernment French parlements must French parlements must

be defenders of libertybe defenders of liberty Influence in the USInfluence in the US

Voltaire (1694-1778)Voltaire (1694-1778)

Enthusiasm for Enthusiasm for English institutionsEnglish institutions

Reformer not a Reformer not a revolutionaryrevolutionary

Admirer of Louis Admirer of Louis XIVXIV

Relationship with Relationship with Frederick the GreatFrederick the Great

““Ecrasez l’infame”Ecrasez l’infame”

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)1778)

Rather than liberation, Rather than liberation, rationalism and rationalism and civilization destroys civilization destroys the individualthe individual

Man by nature was Man by nature was solitary, good and freesolitary, good and free

Civilization represents Civilization represents decay, not progressdecay, not progress

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

One of few philosophes One of few philosophes to live to see the French to live to see the French RevolutionRevolution

Enlightenment was a Enlightenment was a personal process—personal process—release from immaturityrelease from immaturity

More optimistic than More optimistic than RousseauRousseau

““Dare to Know”—Dare to Know”—Enlightenment was an Enlightenment was an act of personal courageact of personal courage