Scientific Revolution

Why did it start? It started with the Renaissance! A new secular, critical thinking man began to look at the world around him. New Greek resources were available that expanded on the Latin resources that learning was based The weakening of the Church’s intellectual/scientific control of thinking.

Men who studied the heavens “The Star Gazers” Men who studied the heavens

Ptolemy 2nd Century Roman Astronomer Geocentric world view (Earth Centered) Series of concentric spheres surrounding a motionless Earth Christianity shaped its view of heaven to correspond to Ptolemy’s world view Heaven above the outer sphere and Hell in the interior of earth.

Nicholas Copernicus Polish astronomer 1543 On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres Concluded that the Sun is the center of our solar system, or Heliocentric world The earth is merely one of several planets revolving about the Sun.

Johannes Kepler German Astronomer & Mathematician Kepler used math to prove and extend the ideas of Copernicus Determined that the planets follow an elliptical, not a circular, orbit in revolving about the sun. Helped explain the paths followed by human-made satellites today.

Galileo Galilei Italian Astronomer and Physicist First to use a telescope to study the heavens; discovered the moons of Jupiter and mountains on the moon; Shows that the universe was made of the same material Demonstrated the law of falling bodies and greatly improved the telescope Did the most to bring the heliocentric conception of the universe to the world

Galileo and the Church The Church took a stand against the Copernican idea and brought Galileo to Rome for a trial in 1610 Faced with the choice of recanting his beliefs or execution, Galileo chose to recant and abandoned his studies of the heavens.

The Thinkers

Isaac Newton English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Principles of Natural Philosophy or Principia 1642 Invented calculus Discovered laws of light and color Formulated the laws of motion Objects are in a state of rest or motion in a straight line; Rate of change is proportional to the forces acting on it; For every action is a opposite and equal reaction; Law of gravitation, which explains why the heavens are in motion World as a machine view of natural laws!

Francis Bacon Lawyer from England Concept of inductive, experimental thinking He popularized the new scientific method of observation and experimentation. English Royal Society: Meetings of scientist who share ideas.

Rene Descartes French Scientist, Mathematician, and philosopher Discourse on Method 1637 Cartesian Dualism: Separation of Mind and Body - father of Rationalism Discovered laws of optics and is considered the founder of analytic geometry. Doubt everything; all must be proven “I think, therefore, I am.”

Studying the Body and the World

Vesalius Flemish Physician On the Fabric of the Human Body (1543) Undertook dissections of the human body as a professor of surgery Founded the science of anatomy

William Harvey English Physician, demonstrated that blood circulates through the body On the Motion of the Heart and Blood (1628) Disproved the Greek Galen’s theories that had been held for 1500 years.

Leeuwenhoek Dutch naturalist Perfected the microscope and the study of micro-organisms.

What was the Impact of the Scientific Revolution on: Philosophy: Enlightenment and ideas on government Religion: the Church, rather than embracing the ideas created a conflict between faith and science; World: challenged traditional beliefs about the organization of society, application of science to solve problems in society