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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