SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

Johannes Kepler

realized the sun WAS at the center of the solar system, developed laws of planetary motion, including the belief that the orbits were elliptical (egg-shaped)

Rene Descartes

believed in one absolute truth, his own existence - " I think, therefore I am". He wrote "Discourse on Methods"; (grounding religious belief in human understanding); separation of mind and matter; father of modern rationalism

geocentric

earth-centered system of the universe; common understanding of the earth prior to The Age of Reason

Ptolemaic system

the geocentric model of the universe (believed the earth was the center of the universe); named after the astronomer Ptolemy, who lived during the second century

heliocentric

sun-centered system of the universe; this discovery was proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus

A mathematician who discovered the heliocentric model of the solar system (sun-centered system of the universe)

Galileo Galilei

considered the father of the Scientific Revolution and modern science; used a telescope to discover more about the solar system; suggested that heavenly bodies were composed of material substance.

Sir Isaac Newton

defined the three laws of motion that govern the planetary bodies in his work Principia, discovered gravity, and Considered the greatest genius of the Scientific Revolution.

universal law of gravitation

one of the three rules of motion governing the planetary bodies set forth by Sir Isaac Newton in his Principia; planetary bodies do not go off in straight lines but instead continue in elliptical orbits about the sun because every object in the universe is attracted to every other object by a force called gravity. Showed how one law could explain all motion in the universe.

rationalism

a system of thought expounded by Rene Descartes based on the belief that reason is the chief source of knowledge

Scientific Method

a systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence that was crucial to the evolution of science in the modern world

Francis Bacon

Created Scientific Method; Philosopher that believed that instead of relying on the ideas of ancient authorities, scientists should use inductive reasoning to learn about nature; believed that man could use science to increase his control and power over nature to benefit industry, agriculture, and trade

inductive reasoning

The doctrine that scientists should proceed from the particular to the general, observing phenomena to establish general principles, making observations and experiments to test hypotheses or theories

Natural Philosophers

philosophes from The Age of Reason who applied logical analysis to systematic observations of the natural world; became known as modern-day scientists