The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution in under 5 Minutes

https://youtu.be/u84di7LHS_M

The Scientific RevolutionAnd new philosophy calls all in doubt,

The element of fire is quite put out;

The sun is lost, and th’ earth, and no man’s wit

Can well direct him where to look for it

’Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone;

-John Donne, “Anatomy of the World”

What was the Scientific Revolution?■ From 1542 to 1700

■ Development of new ways to study universe

■ Old authorities no longer blindly accepted

■ Application of mathematics to natural world

■ Creation and spread of new ideas and discoveries

The Philosophical Medieval View

■ Aristotle & Ptolemy from Greece supported the

Geocentric theory:Earth was an unmoving object

located at the center of the universe- the sun and planets moved around the Earth

■ Religion guided views too: Christianity taught that God had placed Earth at the center of the universe.

Aristotle(384BC – 322BC)

■ Greek philosopher

■ Developed geocentric model.

■ Philosophies had long-lasting effects on philosophical theories.

Geocentric Theory

Claudius Ptolemy(85AD – 165AD)

■ Greek astronomer, mathematician & geographer

■ Expanded Aristotle’s geocentric theory.

■ Introduced trigonometry methods.

Before the Scientific Revolution

■ Science was called “natural philosophy”

■ Science mixed with moral philosophy, theology, numerology, alchemy & magic

■ Ancient Greek sources highly trusted

■ Few experiments were performed

Causes of the Scientific Revolution

■ The voyages of discovery and colonization

■ Ancient & Medieval works translated into Latin, then vernacular languages

■ New inventions & institutions that promoted sharing of knowledge

Conventional Thoughts

■ The Catholic Church supported the Geocentric Theory because it was consistent with religious doctrine that god had made the earth a special place in the universe

■ For 1,500 years, the Church supported almost all of Aristotle’s scientific theories as fact

The Scientific Revolution Arrives

Challenging Old Ideas

■ The Scientific Revolution involved challenges to the traditional way of understanding the universe

■ These ideas were controversial because they challenged accepted truths, respected ancient scientists and the Roman Catholic Church

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

■ Sun-centered universe – heliocentric theory

■ Earth is no different than

any other planet

■ On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1543)

Nicolaus Copernicus (cont’d)

Conflict Over the Theories■ Copernicus was so

fearful of being considered a heretic that he waited until the last year of his life to publish his theory

■ However, his ideas spread despite Church condemnation and were eventually embraced by others.

Heliocentric TheoryGeocentric vs. Heliocentric Models

https://youtu.be/gDNC9LMox40

Heliocentric Model■ Earth is not center of

the universe

■ Earth is just another planet

■ Earth revolves around the Sun

■ Night and day caused by Earth’s rotation

Nicolaus Copernicus (cont’d)

Scientific Discoveries Validate the Heliocentric Theory

■ The later findings of Johannes Kepler, a Danish mathematician, used data to prove the Heliocentric Theory

■ He also discovered that planets have elliptical (not circular) orbits around the sun.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)■ Uses experiments &

observations

■ Planetary movement is a mathematical formula

■ Planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits NOT circles

■ Confirms Copernicus ideas

Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642)■ GALILEO – designs 1st telescope

w/lens & sees movement of stars & moons (similar to the movement of the planets)

■ Church believes heavens are fixed, unmoving & earth is central → they are furious w/Galileo!

■ Galileo accused of heresy (crimes against Church) → 1633 brought to trial before Catholic Inquisition & he recants his statements

Galileo Galilei (cont’d)

■ Galileo used the telescope (which he invented) to study the movement of the planets and published works supporting Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory

■ Wrote Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632)

Why did the Catholic Church care?

■ Galileo was CATHOLIC!

■ The Protestant Reformation

■ Events had disturbed the faith of many Christians

■ Movements in the heavens which contradicted Church doctrine

Conflict - Galileo vs. The Church

■ Catholic clergy brought Galileo before the Inquisition, where he was forced to recant his findings under threat of excommunication and torture

■ Despite his public recant of his theory, they placed Galileo under house arrest for the rest of his life in an attempt to silence him

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)■ Universal law of motion →

every object in universe attracts every other object

■ Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687) - Explained gravity (what goes up must come down)

■ Universe is a giant clock- all parts work together but God set clock in motion.

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was the pioneer of modern physics

■ He was an English scientist who developed the law of gravity to explain the movement of the planets

■ This further confirmed the Heliocentric Theory

■ His theories asserted that all celestial bodies are attracted to each other by an invisible force directly related to the mass of the object

■ Newton believed that God had designed the universe like a giant clock, with gravity dominating its motions

Francis Bacon(1561-1626)

■ English politician & writer with an interest in science.

■ Criticized ancient philosophers on how they arrived at conclusions.

■ Urged scientists to experiment in order to arrive at conclusions

■ Developed Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

■ Observation

■ Research

■ Hypothesis

■ Experiment

■ Analysis

■ Conclusion

Francis Bacon (cont’d)

■ This method was championed by Francis Bacon.

■ He was an English writer who felt that scholars had assumed Aristotle’s teachings to be truth without testing them.

■ He emphasized the need for experimentation over simple observation in arriving at conclusions.

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)■ French scientist &

mathematician.

■ Developed analytical geometry (links both algebra & geometry)

■ Developments provided new tools for scientific research.

Key Inventions

■ The Dutch invented the microscope ■ Inventor Antoine von Leeuwenhoek created a

high powered one■ Evangelista Torricelli – barometer ■ Galileo – thermometer

■ Farhenheit – improved thermometer

Effects of the Scientific Revolution

■ The power of & faith in the Catholic Church was severely weakened■ These discoveries revolutionized the way average Europeans thought

■ Began to question the role of religion in education■ Began to solve life’s problems using logic & reasoning

■ Leads directly to The Enlightenment movement■ Logic and reasoning can also be applied to solve the problems of

human societies■ What is the best way to govern nations?■ What is the most effective economic system?■ What is the fairest way to structure society?

■ These new ideas will challenge the authority of Monarchs as well as the Church

Critical Writing Assessment: The Scientific Revolution

Each assessment must be written in Paragraph form■ Describe 3 major events and inventions that helped

lead to the Scientific Revolution between 1300 – 1600AD?

■ How the following early scientist change the way Europeans understood the world around them:

Nicolaus Copernicus, Galilio Galilei, & Isaac Newton

■ Describe how the Scientific Revolution both further weakens the power of the Catholic Church as well as inspire new movements in thought?