The Scientific RevolutionWhat changed? – Before and after?

• Middle Ages Science (Pre 1500) – Accept answers from Bible, Greeks, Romans

• Renaissance – New emphasis on learning / studying / rise of literacy rates– More study of Classical texts -- Scholars

realize that Classical texts don’t always agree with each other

• Reformation – Questioning of church policies leads to freedom to question other things– Before – Don’t publish for fear of persecution – After – Publish, trust that you will be

protected– But Not Always

• After – Start to believe in Scientific Method – Use of experiments – repeated results– Use of “discourse” – proof through logic

Is the Scientific Revolution really a Revolution?

• Revolution = – “a forcible overthrow of a government or

social order in favor of a new system”– “a dramatic and wide reaching change in

the way something works or is organized or in people’s ideas about it”

• Pre Sci Rev – Accept answers from Bible, Greeks,

Romans, – Accept “intuitive” “common sense” – Accept that some things will never be

known

• Post Sci Rev– Only accept answers that can be proven

through a process of experimentation and repeated results

– Belief that just because the answer is not known, that does not believe it will never be known.

Why were Scientists reluctant to publish their findings and how did that change?

• New scientific findings sometimes challenged church teachings.

• Church was very powerful.

• Renaissance / Reformation opened the door to SOME challenges to church teachings.

• By mid 1600s governments start to support work of scientists, encourage publication.

• But risk of punishment still exists– Ask Galileo

What are the big causes of Scientific Revolution? Rediscovery

of Classical Learning during

Crusades

Study of classical texts /

applications of Classical learning

during Renaissance

Questioning / Challenges to

Church in Reformation Increased literacy

rates / Increased ability to spread

ideas due to Printing Press

Demonstrated practical benefits of

Scientific Improvements in

Age of Exploration

Scientific Revolution

How did the Scientific Revolution lead to the Enlightenment?

• Natural Laws of universe = big part of Scientific Revolution

• Natural Laws of man = big part of Enlightenment• Enlightenment = Application of Scientific Method to

Social Issues

Heliocentric Theory

• Old View – Sun goes around the earth (Geocentric)

• New View – Earth goes around the sun (Heliocentric)

• Copernicus – Early heliocentric theorist, shut down by church – Doesn’t publish until he is about to

die • Kepler – proves heliocentric theory

through logic / observations (Laws of Planetary Motion)

• Galileo – Definitive proof of Heliocentric theory using Telescope – Forced by Church to recant

Isaac Newton

• Accepts that planets go around sun – wants to prove WHY

• Proposes law of Universal Gravitation

• 3 Laws of Motion– Object in Motion stays in motion– Object at rest stays at rest– Every action has an equal and

opposite reaction

• Universe is like a giant clock…. • “if I have seen farther it is by

standing on the shoulders of giants”

Other important people • Vesalius – furthers Da

Vinci’s study of anatomy – how body components work together

• Harvey – Describes role of heart, and circulation of blood

• Leeuwenhoek – Used microscope to study bacteria

• Boyle – How does pressure impact gases etc.

• Descartes “I think therefore I am”– No assumptions should be

accepted without question