Scientific Revolution/Enlightenment

  • The Scientific Revolution began in 1550s

    • During the Renaissance, people began to question old beliefs and thoughts that humans could accomplish everything

    • During the Reformation, people began to question the ideas of the Roman Catholic Church

    • During the Age of Exploration, the discovery of new lands led people to search for other “new” things

      • Because of the Renaissance,Reformation, and the Age of Explorations people began to question everything

  • The Scientific Revolution

    • A wave of thought

    • New technology combined with innovative approaches to seeking knowledge led to new wave of thought

    • A general weakening in full reliance on the works of the ancients(Plato, and Aristotle)

      • Bad Idea: They were very well believed, 

    • Theology’s claim to be the summit of intellectual activity challenged

      • Theology - God's word and religion

    • Bacon: Scientific Method

    • Descartes: Any truth can be reached with reason


Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)

  • Polish Scholar

  • Traditional Belief: The Earth is the center of the universe (geocentric)

  • Daring idea; the Earth was round and rotated on its axis as it revolved around the sun

    • Heliocentric

    • A dangerous and revolutionary idea, not published to the year of his death

  • Lasting Impact: Science of Astronomy

  • Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

    • Provided mathematical proof for Copernicus’ hypothesis

    • Refuted (did not 100% agree) some of Copernicus’ view by proving the planets moved in ellipses around the sun, not perfect circles

    • Found that planets travel at different speeds

      • Because of their different sizes and distances from the sun (gravity)

  • Galileo Galilei (1564-1652)

    • Faced serious church opposition for his ideas

      • His ideas were seen as a rejection of the Scripture

    • Traditional Belief: celestial bodies are made up of gas and perfectly round

      • Pope was mad because: it was going against scripture

      • Caused conflict between Galileo and the Pope

    • Daring Idea:

      • Not all heavenly bodies revolve around the Earth or are smooth

      • Used telescope to observe the heavens

      • Excommunicated and forced to recant many statements

        • Excommunicated: Kick out of Church

        • Recant (like Martin Luther : Galileo is forced to recant

        • Galileo still believes in his ideas even after recanting

        • They also will lock him up in his apartment/home but he got to keep his stuff

    • Lasting Impact: 

      • Helped to establish the universal laws of physics

      • Perfected the telescope

        • Helps provide greater understanding of the universe

        • Taboo thing to question the universe because it goes against the teachings of the church

      • Proved Copernicus’ heliocentric theory

  • Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

    • Traditional Belief: Divine powers controlled the movements of planets

    • Daring Idea: a force pulls objects to Earth and keeps planets in orbit

      • Talking about gravity

      • Used math to explain nature

      • Explained and expanded on the work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo

    • Doesn’t get bothered as much by the church because he is studying not professing the work as the first person

    • Lasting Impact: theories created the foundation for astronomy, engineering, and physics

  • Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)

    • Traditional Belief: it was considered a sin to dissect humans to study; so he dissected animals instead

    • Lots of Complaints:

      • Church says no

      • Considered a sin

    • Daring Idea: in order to understand the human anatomy, you must observe humans

      • Drew precise sketches of the hundreds of corpses he dissected

    • Lasting Impact: Science of Anatomy and the full understanding of the human body

  • William Harvey (1578-1657)

    • Traditional Belief: food is turned into blood in the heart and arteries and veins serve as air tubes

    • Daring Idea: blood is recycled through the heart and arteries and veins carry blood to and from the heart

    • To figure this out, they had to restrict the flow of blood in someone’s body, (That person was alive and probably felt the pain)

    • Lasting Impact: Science of Physiology


What WAS the Enlightenment?

  • Student definition: 

    • Idea or movement

      • Science and logic

    • Importance of change in ideas with logic/how is logic changing?

      • More advanced logic, less based on religion(not completely), brave souls of Enlightenment

  • 1690-1789

  • Textbook definition: a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition

  • It was a conscious growth out of the Scientific Revolution (an attempt to explain the rationality of nature) - which was a clear attempt to adopt the humanist principles of the Renaissance

  • People who came up with these are very, very smart

  • Reason - a favorite word of philosophes

  • Rationalism - a secular way of thinking to test knowledge - no more acceptance by faith 

    • Constrictions of the church 

    • Philosophers were not very respected

      • Kept their work hidden

  • THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES:

    • 1. Rational thinking should be applied to all aspects of life

    • 2. Rational thinking could be applied to society

    • 3. Society could be improved if only rationality was applied to government and society itself (Successful if only applied to itself)



  • Influence of early thinkers?

    • Could “real” truth ever be known?

      • People could realize and try to escape the Church 

    • Was it the Church and religious struggles that caused suffering, rather than ease pain?

      • People would whip themselves(hurt themselves) in the name of religion

    • Baruch Spinoza (a skeptic) said God and nature were the same thing, and “good and evil” were relative. How would skeptics (like him) create a new paradigm option for self-awareness for people?

    • John Locke said we were born with TABULA RASA (a blank slate) - why would this, and his belief on your responsibility feed into enlightenment thinking?

      • American constitution was based on this, and Jefferson really liked/believed Locke

  • What were the Philosophes?    (commonly used for short essay and long essay)

    • Writers & Critics

      • Not just philosophers 

      • Nor were they reformers - they never did take action

      • Usually French

        • Paris was the place for school

      • Usually satirical - plausible deniability

    • Appealed to mostly middle class

    • Encouraged free trade, new inventions, agricultural improvements

      • Why like new inventions?

        • Something else to think about

    • LIBERTY FOR ALL

    • RELIGIOUS REFORM

    • POLITICAL REFORM

  • Voltaire (Francis- Marie Arouet)

    • Most famous of philosophes 

    • Love the English 

    • Hated the Church

      • THE INFAMOUS THING

      • Claimed the Bible would become a piece of history 

    • Existentialist

      • Denied any hope for humanity

    • Attacked war

    • Attacked intolerance 

    • Attacked slavery

    • Loved liberty — “I may disagree with you”

  • Charles Louis de Secondat (Baron de Montesquieu)

    • Men can not be trusted

    • Powerful men have no ability to be fair

    • Government should be divided, and …

      • SEPERATION OF POWER

    • Powerful men should be forced to battle each other for power 

      • CHECKS AND BALANCES

    • COnstitutional Monarchist

      • Executive: King

      • Legislative: Parliament

      • Judicial: Court

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    • Brilliant

    • Neurotic

      • Means its very nervous

      • He believed that everyone was plotting against him

    • Society corrupts people

    • Several children – sent to foundling hospitals

    • THE SOCIAL CONTRACT – 1762

    • “All men are born free, but everywhere, they are in chains”

      • England was the main “transporter?” of slaves and slavery

    • People become moral when they become selfless

    • Freedom = obedience to a laws you helped to create

    • Democratic participation – binds citizenry to community 

  • Deism (Lord Herbert)

    • Belief in the existence of a single supreme God 

    • Humanity’s duty to revere God

    • Linkage of worship with practical morality

    • God will forgive us if we repent and abandon our sins

    • Good works will be rewarded (and punishment for evil) both in life ad after death