Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment

The Scientific RevolutionThe Scientific Revolution

To Do:With a partner, diagram the Universe as we know it today… Be as accurate

as possible!


Question:How does your diagramDiffer from this one?

The Scientific RevolutionThe Scientific Revolution1500 - 16871500 - 1687

By 1000s AD, the Europeans were behind the rest of the world in science and technology

1295 – Marco Polo, a European explorer, visits Asia and sees their advancements… He comments on the inferiority of the Europeans

Now Europe really picks up the pace… By the 1800s Europeans have the attitude that they are superior to China!

OriginsOriginsScientific Revolution of the 17th

and 18th centuries explored the world of nature and the heavens◦Used to be taught by religious

institutionsPeople rejected priests to study by

themselvesPeople started to test theoriesNew discoveries in physics,

medicine, biology, and chemistry


A new way of thinking emerges:

1) Secular – “of this world”- This is the focus of things on this world, not so much about religion.

- Around the 1500s there’s a shift from theology to philosophy;taught in universities.

(politics, natural sciences, etc…) we still have Ph.D.s

- They believed that while God did create the Universe, he did so ina way that we humans could understand, reconstruct, and know.

2) Rational – reason things out, and think about everything!

3) Reason – Humans CAN figure out the way the world works (Laws of nature) by studying physics, biology, chemistry, and politics (i.e. what

makes society work).

4) Progress – You get to knowledge through progress!!! To do this humansneed to re-engineer the world.

At this time we see a rise in literacy and city populations…


Nicholas Copernicus (1473 - 1543)A Polish Priest who wrote in Latin

- Up to the time of Copernicus, people thought that there was asort of crystal sphere the kept the planets, moon, and stars in orbit around the Earth.

-Copernicus proposed the idea that the Earth revolvedaround the sun, and not vice versa… The sun was the center of theUniverse, not the Earth.

-In 1543 Copernicus published De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium. He waited until he was about to die before publishing it because he knew what he was proposing would be trouble… He sends a letter to the Pope before its publication… ”I don’t mean to…”

He provides a Possible Alternative Explanation…

The Scientific RevolutionThe Scientific RevolutionThe Copernican Universe


Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1630)A German who also publishes in Latin

- Kepler proved Copernicus was right through mathematics

-To do this he needed to gather a lot of information. He uses nightobservations (over the span of years) from a Danish Nobleman named Tycho Brahe.

- Kepler uses his information to make accurate models of the heavens.

- Kepler demonstrates that planets move in an elliptical orbit… not acircular orbit that Copernicus had previously said.


Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)

- He was one of the first Europeans to build and use a telescope (he didn’t invent it!)

- Galileo used a telescope to observe the moon, and saw craters. This proved that the moon was not a perfect sphere… hmm… trouble…

- He saw moons on Jupiter (thus we have the Galilean Moons of Jupiter)- Aristotle didn’t mention moons… there they are!!!

- Galileo used the scientific method to come to his conclusions;(Observe – Define – Test… Rethink, Observe, Experiment, Observe,Test…)


Isaac Newton (1643 - 1727)

-Wrote “Principia Methematica” which contained mathematicaldescriptions of how the world works (up to the speed of light, asEinstein later proves…)

Law 1: Every object continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.

Law 2: The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object, is in the direction of the net force, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

Law 3: Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first.

Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions◦Why was the Church so opposed to the heliocentric

theory?◦ If you were Galileo or Copernicus, would you have

fought for your beliefs, even at the risk of being executed or jailed?

◦Are there ideas or beliefs that you would defend today at all costs?

◦Major advances in science are often controversial because they change our way of thinking, raise important ethical questions, or come into conflict with traditional religious values. Give examples of scientific advancements that have raised such controversy during your lifetime.

Why so important?Why so important?

The rise of a secular (non-religious society)

The rise of the individual (end of absolutism)

Advances in navigation, applied mathematics

Improves trade and the overall quality of life

Two Significant Two Significant PhilosophersPhilosophers

Read the article on Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon and answer the following for each:◦What aspects of learning did they

influence? How?◦What type of reasoning did they come

up with? What did it involve?◦Write down their most famous quote◦What are their legacies?

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment1687 - 18261687 - 1826

The 18th Century proudly referred to itself as the "Age of Enlightenment" and rightfully so for Europe had dwelled in the dim glow of the Middle Ages when suddenly the lights began to come on in men's minds and humankind moved forward.

To understand the natural world and humankind's place in it solely on the basis of reason and without turning to religious belief was the goal of the wide-ranging intellectual movement called the Enlightenment. The movement claimed the allegiance of a majority of thinkers during the17th and 18th centuries, a period that Thomas Paine called the Age of Reason. At its heart it became a conflict between religion and the inquiringmind that wanted to know and understand through reason based on evidence and proof.

Many “Enlightenment Thinkers” were atheist…

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment1687 - 18261687 - 1826

Why 1826? This is the year that Thomas Jefferson dies… The Declaration of Independence was an Enlightenment document…

-Those capable of reading (nobles, merchants, and some artisans)are exposed to enlightenment ideas…

-The peasants at this time are too busy to care, plus, the nobles don’tWant educated peasants… (insert France here…)

“Philosophes” – French for PhilosophersLOTS of philosophers at the time were French

Political Philosophers that influenced Jefferson:1) John Locke (1632 – 1704)2) Baron de Montesquieu (1689 – 1755) 3) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778)

Those good at explaining Newton to the Laymen:1) Madam du Chatelet (1706 – 1749)2) Denis Diderot (1713 – 1784)

The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment


John Locke (1632 - 1704)Treatise on Government (1 and 2)… #2 in 1690

-Addressed the question: What is the purpose of government?

- What is the purpose?

- To protect the natural rights of its citizens…

- Everyone has them- Life, Liberty, and Property…

-If the government isn’t doing it’s job, it’s illegitimate and peoplehave the right to overthrow it.

- 2 years previous to the second treatise was “The Glorious Revolution” in1688 – 1689, where James II is ran off the thrown and replaced by Mary, James’ daughter… she has to agree to the English Bill of Rights… No oneRule without sharing power with Parliament

-Locke agreed that James was properly and justly disposed- Later Jefferson would use this for his grievances to King George III


Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)Spirit of the Laws - 1748

-Montesquieu believed in the separation of powers ideaChecks and Balances

* One person could not be judge, jury, and executioner

- Without checks and balances there would be tyranny…

* This has a huge influence on our constitution…


Rousseau (1712 - 1778)The Social Contract - 1762

- Government is not there for the glory of God, but because there areobligations between the government and its people.

- The Social Contract was first published in Amsterdam… He would havegotten in trouble if he had published it in France…

1) Popular Sovereignty (Sovereignty = the right to rule)- Not from God, but from the people. This was a radical

thought at the time! Up until now sovereignty was fromGod.

2) General Will – Works well for Democracy and Dictators

- The decisions of government should be what people want

Tyranny of Majority… Bad though!... Hitler said he represented the general will of Germany (also Mussolini of Italy)


Diderot (1713 - 1784)Encyclopedia

- Diderot was the editor of the Encyclopedia from 1751-1765… TheRational Dictionary of the Sciences.

- He recruits experts to write on different topics (to put knowledge inLeymen terms)… for quick reference. There were MANY volumes.

His Purpose: was to change the general way of thinking… to put theEnlightenment in the hands of the general public.

He later gets in trouble with the king over later volumes (after #1)…The Vatican in Rome puts it in the index of “bad books”

The EnlightenmentThe EnlightenmentLiteracy Rates (males)Literacy Rates (males)

16001600 18001800

FranceFrance 1/61/6 2/32/3

EnglishEnglish 1/41/4 1/21/2

Chaterlet- Translates Isaac Newton into French

Adam SmithWealth of Nations - 1776

- This book was an attack on mercantilism – it said that lessgovernment was necessary… A person (or markets) left to their own devices could do better than governments.

There are certain things that government should do: Laws, and nationalDefense…

The Enlightened DespotsThe Enlightened DespotsThe courts of Europe became enlivened as philosophes tried to persuade rulers to adopt their ideas… Some did accept the Enlightenment ideas, while others still practiced absolutism. Those that did became known as “Enlightened Despots”

Frederick II (1740-1786) - aka Frederick the Great- He exerted extremely tight control during his reign of Prussia- Saw himself as the “first servant of the state” working for the common good.- Reduced torture and allowed free press- Simplified laws, and reorganized the govt’s civil service- Tolerated religious differences

* In the end he still wanted a strong monarchy and power for himself

Catherine the Great - Exchanged letters with Voltaire and Diderot- Believed in equality and liberty- Abolished torture and established religious tolerance- Criticized serfdom (being tied to the land)

* In the end she did not intend to give up her power…

Joseph II (son of Maria Theresa of Austria)- Continuing his mother’s reforms, he was the most radical of the enlightened Despots- He would travel in disguise as a peasant to see how they lived- Supported religious equality for Protestants and Jews (Catholic Empire)- Ended censorship = free press- Sold monastery property if it did not educate or care for the sick

* After his death many of his reforms were canceled…


These ideas have reached the public by now…

They start to influence others… Thus we see

the start of revolutions in America and France.

Documents

Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment