Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton Incorporated the astronomy of Copernicus and Kepler with the physics of Galileo into an overachieving theory explaining order and design to the universe Newton

Principle of Universal Gravitation Detailed in Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (Principia) Natural laws of motion – gravitation- are evident in the movement of heavenly bodies and earthly objects Newton developed a set of mathematical principles to explain motion

Principle of Universal Gravitation Since these natural laws are unchangeable and predictable, God’s active participation in the natural world is not needed to explain the forces of nature – Challenged Medieval beliefs – Came to be the foundation of the Enlightenment view of God: Deism

Anatomy and Physiology

Scientist began challenging Greco-Roman medical views

Vesalius The Structure of the Human Body

William Harvey On the Movement of the Heart and Blood – Explained how blood circulated

Anton van Leeuwenhoek “Father of microscopy” First to see and write about bacteria

Royal Scientific Societies

Governments Encouraged scientific inquiry as a means to further the prestige of the state and remain at the cutting edge of technology Scientific societies created a means by which scientists could communicate with each other internationally

Royal Society England Perhaps the most successful and prestigious scientific societies Other royal societies were created in Naples, France, Prussia (by Frederick I) and Russia (by Peter the Great)

Impact of Scientific Revolution

Enlightenment Scientific Revolution led directly to the Enlightenment of the 18 th century

Exploration Improvements in exploration – The chronometer that now gave mariners the ability to easily determine longitude

Experiments Spirit of experimentation perhaps helped accelerate the Agricultural Revolution of the 18 th century

Medical Improvements in medical knowledge helped improve the quality of life after (19 th and 20 th century)

Science vs. Religion Science and religion were not in acute conflict until the 19 th and 20 th century No attempt to secularize science in 17 th and 18 th century Scientists believed they were studying and analyzing God’s creation After Catholic Counter Reformation, the Church became more hostile to science Protestant countries became the leaders of the science movement