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The Scientific Revolution

What is the “Scientific Revolution?”

• Increasing number of discoveries and inventions

• A shift in traditional ways of thinking about the world

• Shaped the way we do science today

What is “Science?”What characteristics distinguish science

from what is not science?

What kinds of things would it make you think of if you heard someone say:

“What an unscientific view”

or

“That was the scientific way to approach it”?

Medieval Science:Natural Philosophy

• Relied on speculation and theorizing rather than observation

• Dominated by common sense, myth and folklore

• Included alchemy and magic

Case Study: The Black Death

• Data/Observations:– Nasty black lumps

were forming on people

– People were becoming sick

– People were dying– The world was falling

into disorder and chaos

Q: What is happening? Why is this happening?

A: The witches are to blame

Q: What is happening? Why is this happening?

A: The Jews are to blame

Q: What is happening? Why is this happening?

A: It is the apocalypse, the world is ending

Q: What is happening? Why is this happening?

A: We are to blame, God is punishing us

Case Study: The Black Death

• Sources of Knowledge– Common

Sense– The Bible– Folklore– Superstition

and Magic

Medieval Science:One with the Church

• Time of miracles and supernatural

• Nature seemed irregular and inconsistent

• Studied science to learn more about God

• Bible, not human observation, was ultimate truth

Medieval Science: One with the Church

• Church - dominant authority on what is true and not true

• Most schools - religious institutions

• Church decided official curriculum

• Most scholars - members of clergy

But then things changed . . .

WHY?

Causes of the Scientific Revolution

• Recovery of ancient texts during the Renaissance

• Need to solve navigational problems in sea voyages

• Rise of non-religious universities

• Better instruments

Scientific Method• A logical procedure

for gathering and testing ideas

• Use consistency, observation, reason and repeatability

• New way to form knowledge and authority

Nicolaus Copernicus• Argued that the sun

was at the center of the universe, not the Earth

• Used mathematics to support this idea

Geocentric Theory Heliocentric Theory

Galileo Galilei• Used telescope to make

reliable observations• Confirmed Copernicus’

heliocentric theory• Wrote his theories in

Italian• Church put him on trial

before the Inquisition

William Harvey• Discovered that blood is

recycled through the heart, rather than converted from food

• His research is the starting point of physiology - how the body functions

Andreas Vesalius• Dissected human

bodies, not just animals

• Made detailed sketches of the dissected bodies

• His research is the starting point of modern anatomy

Isaac Newton• Used mathematics to demonstrate

that two objects pull towards one another

• Applied this theory to argue that force keeps the planets in orbit around the sun, rather than spirits and divinities

• His research is the starting point for astronomy, engineering and physics

What made this a “Revolution?”Inventions and discoveries were not new

to the world, they had been done by many cultures since ancient times . . .

Impacts of the Scientific Revolution

• An international community of scholars was created

• The Scientific Method helped scientists understand the world

• Led to a shift in the way people thought about everything: The Enlightenment

Is Science ultimately more beneficial or harmful?