The Scientific Revolution 1500’s – 1600’s

Where have we been & where are we going? Middle Ages: 450’s-1400’s Renaissance: 1300’s-1600’s Reformation: 1500’s-1600’s Exploration: 1500’s-1800’s Absolutism: 1500’s-1600’s Scientific Revolution: 1500’s-1600’s Age of Reason & Enlightenment: 1700’s-1800’s French Revolution: 1780’s-1815

Scientific Thought What topics have we seen so far in this class that may make contributions to scientific discovery? Why do science and religion have a hard time coexisting?

Setup to Science Renaissance-skills of artists use science -use of geometry/mathematics in perspective -study of human form /nature Reformation-printing presses ability to spread the wealth of new ideas, questioning of est. thought Global Age-discovery of new lands and technology necessary to navigate the globe

Advances in Astronomy Ptolemy Nicolaus Copernicus Tyhco Brahe Johannes Kepler Galileo Galilei Isaac Newton

Rene Descartes ( ) Background information “ecstatic illumination of the mystic”.-An Epiphany Discourse on Method: -Starts of with what he knows to be true: Apriori knowledge. -Apriori: true in and of itself. Do not need to know anything else that is true, to know that is is true.

Descartes cont. -Methodological doubt: if anyway you can show something is false, it is. -Used methodological doubt to disprove everything, EXCEPT: “I think, therefore I am!”-The Cogito! Must 1 st prove own existence Separation of mind and matter-material world can be doubted but the mind cannot. –Cartesian Dualism

Descartes cont. Rationalism-understanding the universe through rational (scientific) thought. Style of thinking know as Deductive Reasoning because you begin with general and work toward specific Why might the Church have a problem with Descartes ideas?

Francis Bacon ( ) Created the Scientific Method The Great Instauration Inductive Reasoning (empiricism)-proceed from specific to general by testing, observation, and generalizations. Practical rather than pure science-the world is a machine that we can control with technology

Sir Isaac Newton United Bacon’s empiricism with Descartes rationalism Begin with observations to make generalizations Continue to new deductions proved by experiments