Scientifific Revolution
Scientifific Revolution
Scientifific Revolution
I. Introduction
II. Expectations and Evaluations
III. Review of Medieval Science
IV. Introduction to the Scientific
Revolution and Enlightenment
V. Group Work - Main Scientists
and Impact of the Scientific Revolution
Introduction
Ms.
Cunningham
Evaluation:
I will be evaluating students throughout each
class period. I will be evaluating each
student on classroom note taking during my
lecture, participation in discussions,
assessment of in-class work, group
activities, and higher order thinking
questions (quick-write at end of class).
I will be evaluating students formally and
informally through observation and
assignments.
Any Questions Before We
Begin?
FROM MEDIEVAL TO
MODERN
The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
Objective:
Students will be able to analyze the main
ideas and philosophers of the Scientific
Revolution and the Enlightenment.
What is the Scientific
Revolution?
It is the beginning of a great intellectual transformation that
leads to the modern world
By the end of the revolution, Europe is about to embark on the
Enlightenment, a cultural movement that questioned religion
The Enlightenment was spiritual, philosophical, and
intellectual while the Scientific revolution was about science
and invention.
The Enlightenment changed the way people thought, while the
Scientific Revolution changed the way people did things.
Medieval Science
Medieval Scientists
referred to Roman/Greek
texts or the Bible for
scientific information
This science believed in a
geo-centric solar system-
Earth was the center of
the universe
There was a Great Chain
of Being in which every
organism had its place
Witchcraft
Between 1450-1660
60,000 were executed
only for Church officiated trials - many
communities acted on their own
Women comprise 80% of those executed.
Major witch hunts occur during the century from
1560 to 1660
Crosses the Atlantic to Salem Massachusetts in
1692
Examination of a Witch
Magical Thought
Belief in magic was widespread
While most educated people professed not to believe,
many still held charms, like Queen Elizabeths magic
ring to ward off the plague
Magic was viewed as being either good (tied to the
church) or bad
alternative was natural magic
astrology
alchemy
The Scientific Revolution and
the Enlightenment
During the Renaissance, many ancient Greek and Latin texts came to
light and were seriously studied for the first time in centuries.
Scholars learned of ancient discoveries in mathematics, astronomy,
and philosophy that had been suppressed or dismissed by the Church.
The Renaissance also encouraged individual scholars to question the
Churchs teachings.
The creation of the printing press made books readily available and
knowledge was now widespread so everyone could read, not just a
select few.
Scientific Revolution
During the Scientific Revolution, direct
observations of nature gave people a new
way of understanding the world.
The Church saw the Scientific Revolution
as a threat for two reasons: it changed what
people thought and, more
important, how they thought.
Main Scientists
Scientific Method: Bacon, Descartes
Astronomers: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo
Synthesis: Newton
Nicholas Copernicus
(1473-1543)
Scientific Revolution Starts-1543
Polish priest studied in Italy
Returns to Poland and works on
Astronomy
Proved the sun was the center of
the galaxy-helio-centric theory
Earth is just another planet with a
24 hour rotation
Had to work in private-feared the
church
Work published prior to his death-
1543-On the Revolution of the
Heavenly Bodies
Helio-centric Theory
-Helio-centric theory:
Copernicus came up
with the heliocentric,
or sun centered theory.
This theory
contradicted most
scholars and the
church.
Out of fear,
Copernicuss theory
was not published
until last year of his
life and on his death
bed he received a copy
of his book. His theory
still did not fully
explain why the
planets orbited the
way they did.
Kepler-1571/Brahe built on
Copernicuss ideas to start a
real revolution in astronomy
Kepler proved, by math,
that the planets move on
oval paths called ellipses.
Kepler also proved that
planets do not move at the
same speed depending on
their distance from the sun
This challenged the church,
but, they were in the
Germanic states so the
consequences were not as
severe
In 1609, Galileo, an Italian,
built his own telescope and
began to observe the skies.
1610-published starry
messenger-stated Jupiter had
moons, sun had dark spots-
contradicted Aristotle.
He published his ideas in
1632. The Catholic church
banned his book brought him
before the Inquisition-forced
to take back his ideas
Galileo spent the rest of his
days under house arrest and
died in 1642
Francis Bacon
(1561-1626)
Proposed INDUCTION
made a lot of observations then generalized rules of
nature; this leads to scientific observation as a method
Promoted the modern idea of progress because he
wanted application of science
Bacon established the Scientific Method, which is
a list of steps using experimentation and
observation to make an educated guess and then
follow steps to see if the hypothesis was correct.
Descartes and the Scientific Method
Descartes, a French
philosopher, he believed that
truth must be reached through
reason.
Great mathematician - showed
that any algebraic equation
could be plotted on a graph
Descartes invented geometry.
He also published a book in
1637 in which he doubted
everything except his own
existence. He coined the
phrase, I think therefore I am.
Isaac Newton
(1642-1727)
Possibly the greatest scientist who ever lived -
born on the day Galileo died
math/physics/astronomy
author of Principia Mathematica in 1687
bringing together Galileos discoveries about
motion on Earth and Keplers discoveries in
the heavens
This theory explained why planets move in an
orderly fashion
to do so he had to develop calculus
explained heavenly motion that was tied to
observed motion on Earth
Isaac Newton
Provided a
synthesis
superior to
Aristotle
Notion of
inertia - only
have to explain
change
Three Laws of
Motion
Nature and natures laws lay hid in night
God said, Let Newton be, and all was light.
~Alexander Pope
1 Bodies move in
straight lines unless
impeded (inertia)
2 Every action has an
equal and opposite
action
3 Every body attracts
every other body
with a force
proportional to the
distance between
Scientific Inventions
Janssen-microscope-1590
Leeuwenhoek-observed
bacteria/blood
Fahrenheit-thermometer-
1714
Hooke-discovered the cell
Harvey-blood circulates
Jenner-cure for small pox
Boyle-founder of modern
chemistry
The Natural World
A Roman, Galen,
dissected apes and dogs.
He learned much about
the system of the human
body.
A Frenchmen, Vesalius,
wanted to know more
about the human body.
He cut down dead
criminals to take home
and dissect.
He published a book, The
Structure of the Human
Body, that explained what
he had found.
Enlightenment
Many European scholars felt
that this new understanding
of the world clarified
peoples lives. This period
during the 1600s and
1700s came to be known as
the Enlightenment.
Many began to look at the
world in a new light.
Instead of being directly
involved, god was the
mechanic and made this big
machine called the universe.
France was a main hub for
the spread of Enlightenment
ideas.
Philosophies in Paris would
meet in places called salons
to discuss these new ideas.
A famous philosophe, Rousseau,
fought for individual freedom.
Civilization corrupted people.
Man is born free, and
everywhere he is in chains.
Montesquieu, another leading
philosophe, talked about a
separation of powers within
government. A concept that was
at the center of Americas new
government.
Voltaire was eventually kicked
out of France for his ideas. He
studied in England and was a big
advocate of free speech. He
said, I disapprove of what you
say, but, I will defend to the
death your right to say it.
Political Thought
These ideas applied to the
political arena as well. Hobbes
talked about the idea of a social
contract
Hobbes, an Englishmen, argued
that monarchy was the best
government. In his book, The
Leviathan, he said that chaos and
disorder naturally comes to
people and a monarch is needed
to rule.
Hobbes said you should give
your rights to the government to
protect you and you did not have
any right to protest or rebel.
Locke, another Englishmen,
believed that people are in a
natural state of order unlike
Hobbes.
Locke believed that men also
needed to have a contract
with the government,
however, if the government
breaks that contract the
people have a right and duty
to rebel.
Lockes ideas were extremely
influential on the new
colonies in America.
Legacy of Enlightenment
Belief in Progress
Importance of the Individual
Closure: Critical
Thinking Question
Explain how the Scientific Revolution differed
from the old, traditional way of Medieval
science and Medieval thinking?