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The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution

Logical Thought

Scientific Method

New Understandin

g of the World

Causes Medieval Intellectual Life and

Medieval Universities: scholasticism

The Italian Renaissance

Renewed emphasis on mathematics

Renaissance system of patronage

Navigational problems of long sea voyages

Better scientific instruments

The “Science” of Aristotle

Derived from Aristotle’s “physics” & Ptolemy’s “astronomy”

Geocentric view of the universe

The Science “Revolution”?

Not even called “science” – it’s “natural philosophy”

New ideas, new inventions

Telescope (Dutch!)

Microscope (Dutch too!)

Efforts to measure longitude among the largest scientific endeavors of the era

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish, Catholic priest, astronomer

Publishes On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres while on his deathbed (afraid to challenge the church)

Proposes a heliocentric view of the universe which better explains planetary motion

Inaccurate, but it “opens the door”

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)

Arrogant, wealthy Danish noble

Supported geocentric view, but had a sophisticated observatory

Gathered huge amounts of data (saw comets shooting “through the crystalline spheres”)

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

Brahe’s assistant, but supports the heliocentric view

Posits elliptical orbits, non-uniform speeds to explain anomalies

Publishes New Astronomy in 1609; still unclear why objects “orbit”

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Italian points his Dutch-made telescope at the skies

o Medici were his patrons; originally named

moons of Jupiter after them

Advocates heliocentric view based on observations

o Publishes Starry Messenger & Letters on Sunspots

Argues mathematical laws control the universe

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Addressed issue of how the planets moved: ties it all together

Principia Mathematica reasons that mutual attraction (gravity) governs relationships between objects

Built on empiricism: need to observe before explaining

Argues a universe governed by natural laws

Philosophy & the “New Science”

Nature as mechanism: what is “God’s role” in this view?

Focus shifts to mathematical explanations of the world

Shift to knowledge as means of improving lives (& strengthening state)

Francis Bacon (1561-1626) “Father” of:

o Empiricismo Inductive Reasoningo Scientific Method

Attacks concept that most truths already discovered

Encourages innovation, research (in contrast to Renaissance thinkers?)

Use knowledge to improve human condition; links science to progress, progress to strong government

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Deductive reasoning

Discourse on Method, 1637, focuses on mathematical model, in French

Cogito, ergo sum

Dualism

Primary influence on philosophers, logicians

Political Philosophy: Hobbes v. Locke

Political Philosophy: Thomas Hobbes Leviathan (1651) in wake of English Civil War

o Describe man in a “state of nature”

o “[T]he life of man [in the state of nature is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, & short.”

o Argues for absolute power (of whom?)

o Why do people object?

Political Philosophy: John Locke Second Treatise of Government (1690)

o Describe man in a “state of nature”

o Consent of the governed

o Natural rights

o Social contract w/ government

o What if government fails to protect natural rights?

o Essay Concerning Human Understanding & the Tabula Rasa

Women in the World of Science?

How did men of the time feel about women in the sciences? Which women did have at least limited opportunities? Margaret Cavendish

Maria Winkelmann

Maria Sibylla Merian

Emilie du Chatelet

Queen Christina of Sweden