The Scientific Revolution in Europe

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The Scientific Revolution in Europe

+The Great Chain of Being

+Before the Scientific Revolution

Knowledge based on belief, superstition

Challenge to Church = heresy

Belief in the Great Chain of Being

How would this impact people trying to learn new things?

“Racial” implications of the Great Chain of Being (1868, Ernst Haeckel’s Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte)

+ Scientific Revolution (Natural Philosophy)

Basing ideas on reason, not belief

Reason: Using logic and observation to figure something out

Why do pit bulls have such a bad reputation?

A. Because they are mean dogs and they are owned by people who care more about their dogs than other people.

B. Logic? Observation? What would this look like when applied to the pit bull question?

+Impetus for the Scientific Revolution Medieval Universities

Muslim science (Arabic and Persian math)

Ancient texts translated into Arabic then Latin

Math, astronomy, physics new fields

Renaissance Patrons Artists

Realism, use of science, geometry, natural world

Printing press

Age of Exploration Navigational tools Better instruments=more

accurate observations and new knowledge

Other “science” Alchemy Magic Astrology

+Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) 1543 “On the Revolution of

the Heavenly Bodies” Posits a Heliocentric

universe Kept it to himself (Why?)

+ Aristotelian View of the Universe

+Ptolomy’s vs. Copernicus’ Universe

+Kepler (1571-1630)

German Protestant Not bound by Catholic

Church Pursues math behind

Copernicus and takes up Galileo’s work

Elliptical orbits Speed of planets not

uniform Distance from sun dictates

duration of orbit

+ Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)“Eppur si muove.”

Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher

Use of repeated experiments to learn about gravity, inertia

“Father of modern observational astronomy” via use of telescope

1614 open letter asserts Bible’s irrelevance for scientific knowledge

Dialogue (Copernicus vs. Ptolomy) House arrest, book burned “It still moves.”

+Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626): Father of the Scientific Method1. No a priori assumptions: “If a man

will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”

2. Primacy of empirical observations

3. Develop a theory

4. Express it in mathematics

5. Experimentation (test the theory)

Inductive reasoning: Look at lots of evidence and from these, infer a general principle.

“All bachelors are unmarried.”

“All bachelors are happy.” Which of the above is a

priori knowledge? Why?

+Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Inspired by works of Galileo: posited idea of gravity

Three laws of motion come from the original idea of gravity

Developed calculus: to demonstrate how motion works

Published his work, Principia, 1687

New world view: God’s universe runs according to natural, discoverable laws

Deism (God the great watchmaker)

“Fall of the every sparrow”

+Scientific Revolution beyond science… Why can’t other fields be

challenged? Philosophy: Descartes “Hyperbolic doubt”: there are no

certainties, other than Cogito ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am.” )

Truth built back up from the fundamental existence of the thinking self (“I”)

deductive reasoning: start with a basic principle and from there move to specific truths

Cartesian Dualism: matter vs. mind

+Medicine

Paracelsus (Swiss) Chemical, not humoral,

imbalance Early pharmacologist

Vesalius (Flemish) Anatomy: knowledge

through experimentation, dissection

On the Structure of the Human Body

Harvey (English) Blood circulation Heart functionality

+Politics: What justifies the authority of the state? Thomas Hobbes (English)

Leviathan, 1651 Scientific, not divine rationale

for monarch Man brutish, warlike in state

of nature “Social contract” formed with

a strongman to maintain order, civilized society

Power can be revoked

1588-1679

+Politics: What justifies the authority of the state? John Locke (English) “Essay Concerning Human

Understanding” (1690) Tabula rasa (blank slate) Environment influential (nature vs.

nurture) humans naturally rational, not

depraved Two contracts: first together to form a

society; next with a ruler to protect their property

Tolerance most rational position to take Influence on colonialists

1632-1704