The Scientific Revolution in the Seventeenth Century

Flashcards about the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century.

Copernican Revolution

Nicholas Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the universe, suggesting that the Earth revolves around the sun, challenging the prevailing geocentric view.

Heliocentric Model

A model of the universe with the sun at the center.

Religious Backlash

The Roman Catholic Church initially opposed Copernicus' heliocentric model due to its contradiction with religious teachings about the universe and humanity's place in it.

Galileo's support for Copernicus

Measurements via telescope provided further impetus to this revolutionary change of thought.

Cartesian Dualism

Rene Descartes introduced the concept of dualism, distinguishing between the soul (thoughts, feelings, mental processes) and the body, influencing the development of natural sciences.

Isaac Newton's Contributions

Isaac Newton developed laws of physics based on observations of light and gravity, arguing that the universe is governed by predictable physical laws.

Positivism

The philosophy that science is truth, and scientific truth should guide knowledge.

Impact of the Black Death

Bubonic plague caused a massive population decrease, leading to increased opportunities for shared wealth, a rising merchant class, and increased democracy, fostering conditions conducive to scientific discovery.

Shift in Scientific Approach

Increased reliance on observation, measurement, and inductive reasoning characterized scientific thinking during this period.

Impact on Everyday Life

Greater scientific understanding paved the way for the industrial revolution, technological advances, improved health, longer life expectancies, and increased literacy.

Potential Biases in Historical Analysis

Focusing excessively on a few key thinkers, neglecting knowledge from other cultures, and summarizing complex history can introduce bias.