THE INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTION IN THE WEST CHAPTER 18

The Spread of Scientific Knowledge Science takes off because of…  The printing press  Development of the scientific method  The growth of scientific communities  The patronage of scientists and scientific societies  Art and Artisanship  Shipping

Galileo Galilei ( ) First European to make systematic observations of the heavens using a telescope.  Surface features on Mars and moon,  Jovian moons  Sunspots.  Book: The Starry Messenger.

Galileo the “Heretic” The Church v. Science  Galileo’s heliocentrism removed humans from the center of the universe  God no longer had a fixed physical place. Galileo tried for heresy and forced to recant  What were the results for science in the Catholic world?

Isaac Newton Began his theories by observing motions of the planets. Considered the greatest scientific genius until Einstein wrote his major work, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy Theory of gravitation.  Planets bound to the sun by gravitation  Basic force of gravitation  Proved that it explained the motions of the planets.

Descartes Renee Descartes ( ): Father of modern Rationalism. Philosophy:  Beliefs should be based on logic and observation  Abandon all assumptions.  Only those things that can be proven through reason are acceptable. Books banned by the Inquisition “I think, therefore I am”

Church and Science Tension between science/rationality and religion/faith. Old assumptions are being questioned:  Possible responses: Reconsider interpretation of Scripture Suppress discoveries as heretical Religious views of philosophers and scientists:  Christianity and variants: (Pascal, Newton)  Deism: (Descartes, Voltaire)  Atheism: (Diderot, Rousseau)

Francis Bacon Considered the father of Scientific Method. Wanted human knowledge to be built on inductive reasoning:  Scientific inquiry should proceed from the specific to the general.

The Enlightenment Intellectual Movement: The Enlightenment seeks to apply reason to all aspects of life. Sought to apply scientific method to the human condition.  search for the natural laws that governed human interaction as well as those governing the material world. “The Age of Reason”  Thinking of the past devalued  Classified religion as superstition Encouraged by four intellectual developments  Popularization of science: Astronomy and Printing Press  Skepticism about religion: Religious Wars  Knowledge about cultures outside of Europe: Noble Savage  Works of Newton and Locke.

Locke and Newton Newton imagined an orderly rational universe based on natural laws Locke developed a theory of knowledge based on the idea that all people are born blank slates—tabula rasa.  Everything that people know and believe is based on experience and exposure.  Therefore?

The Philosophes and Their Ideas France was the Capital of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers called “Philosophes”. What social class was most involved? Principles:  Rationality: All is subject to human reason.  Secularism: Improving and enjoying the world.  Social utility: All should serve society.

Adam Smith Most famous physiocrat. Wrote The Wealth of Nations. Laissez-faire Capitalism Government functions.  National Defense  Law Enforcement  Maintain Large-scale Infrastructure. Natural law of economics: supply and demand rule economic behavior.  Why is mercantilism a bad idea? Foundation for economics in the west for 200 years.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau By the late Enlightenment a new group of Philosophes emerged. Rousseau the most famous of these. Discourse of the Origins of the Inequality of Mankind  Government was formed to preserve private property.  In the process people had become enslaved by government.

Rousseau Social Contract  Agreement by society to be governed by its general will. Anybody who defied the general will must be forced to support it. Liberty is achieved by being forced to follow what is best for the group as a whole.  Because everyone is responsible for framing the general will, the creation of laws cannot be delegated to a parliament. Emile—discourse on education  Rousseau’s children were all given up for adoption

Religion And The Churches Protestant and Catholic churches used as instruments of the government and were strongly influenced by the interests of the privileged class. Enlightenment: Toleration and Religious Minorities  Germany and France had reached a degree of religious tolerance after their religious wars.  Throughout most of Europe, rulers either outlawed or restricted the rights of those of the “wrong” religion.  England and Holland tolerated non-state religions

Popular Religion in the 18 th Century Despite Deism and new rationalism, most average people remained devout.  Why? Religious turmoil of the reformation and counter- reformation calmed down. Protestant churches settled down into more institutionalized, often state-supported and more bureaucratic institutions. This led some Protestants to seek a more spiritual church: further denominations (Methodism)