The Scientific Revolution

Main Question: How Galileo, Descartes, and Newton altered traditional interpretations of nature and challenged traditional sources of knowledge.

Galileo

  • Poor Florentine noble

  • Galileo was one of the first to base his arguments on experimentation rather than theory

    • Law of Inertia

      • Object continues in motion forever unless stopped by some external force

        • Shattered Aristotelian physics

    • Made a version of the first telescope in Holland

      • Observed Jupiter

      • Credited with creating the first telescope (but he DID NOT)

      • Perfected it for astronomy

        • Discovered 4 moons of Jupiter (Io, Europe, Ganymede, Callisto)

    • Proved the Copernican theory: celestial bodies do not move on crystalline spheres

    • Pope Urban VII, a friend of Galileo, allowed him to continue publishing work despite religious objections

      • Only allowed provided he made no judgement to the Aristotelian v. Copernican system

    • Published Two Chief Systems of the World

      • Conversation b/t two men, one who believes in the Aristotelian world view, and the other one who supports Copernicus

      • The dialogue explores the tension between traditional beliefs and emerging scientific theories, ultimately highlighting the importance of empirical evidence in shaping our understanding of the universe.

        • Galileo is tried for heresy

          • Recants (symbolizing the struggle b/t religion and science)

          • Sentenced to house arrest, though he was still allowed to conduct experiments from the confines of his home until his death

          • Was not allowed to leave his house

          • Supposedly went blind because he was not allowed to receive help from a doctor

Newton

  • Studied the spectrum of the new sciences/mathematical disciples

    • Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (Principia)

      • Most important written work in the science/mathematics

      • His accomplishments included

        • Defining of motion by formulating the concept of force and laws of motion

        • Understanding the composition of light

        • Developing calculus

        • Building the first reflective telescope

        • Defining law of gravity

          • Believed that nature could be predicted through his principles (i.e. laws of gravity) → challenged traditional views that nature was unpredictable

Descartes

  • Mathematician who believed there was perfect correspondence b/t geometry and algebra

    • Geometric figures could be expressed algebraically

    • Father of analytical geometry and creator of the Cartesian Plane

    • “I think therefore I am”

    • Criticized tradition → made mathematics the model for all science

      • 1637: Discourse on Method

        • Rejected “handed down” material learning

        • Instead, one must begin with a blank slate in order to understand the world

        • Each problem ought to be separated, moving from the simplest to the most difficult in order to solve it

        • He divided the world into Mind and Matter

          • Agreed that God is a clockmaker, but once everything was in motion, God let everything run its course