1. The Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment: Europe, 1550-1800

2. I. Scientific Revolution
The European Renaissance ( ) inspired many new ways of thinking and challenged many traditional institutions
Set the stage for a rededication to learning and questioning long-held beliefs
Scientific Revolution – a new way of thinking about the natural world
Began mid-1500s
Based on observation and willingness to question traditionally accepted beliefs
World exploration opened Europeans to the possibilities of new truths to be found
Scientific method – a logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas
Use testing and experimentation to prove a hypothesis

3. II. New Theories and Observations
Heliocentric theory vs. geocentric theory
Long-held belief the Earth was center of the universe (geocentric)
Scholars such as Copernicus and Galileo used observation to argue Earth and other planets revolved around Sun (Heliocentric)
Church denied Heliocentric theory, threatened Galileo with arrest and torture
Isaac Newton – developed the law of gravity in late-1600s
Every object in the universe attracts every other object, attraction depends on mass and distance of objects
Theories became basis for study of physics

4. III. The Enlightenment
Fields of science were not the only subjects influenced by new ways of thinking
Government, religion, economics, education began to be challenged and changed
Enlightenment – intellectual movement that stressed reason and rational thought to solve problems
Centered in France, but spread throughout Europe
Also stressed observation and discussion
Views on government and politics
Thomas Hobbes argued that a strong ruler and laws are the key to a successful society
John Locke argued that people have the natural ability to govern themselves
Favored self-government, not absolute power
Three natural rights – life, liberty, property
CHALLENGE QUESTION!

5. II. Continued…
French philosophers (philosophes) believed in 5 key concepts
Reason – truth could be discovered through logical thinking
Nature – what was natural was also good and reasonable
Happiness – urged people to seek well-being on earth, not just in afterlife
Progress – society and humankind could improve
Liberty – should be free of tyranny
Women and the Enlightenment
Many male Enlightenment thinkers still held traditional ideas about women’s roles in society
Example: a girls education should be how to be a good wife/mother

6. II. Continued… Legacy of Sci. Rev. & Enlightenment
Many women influenced status and rights through writing – pioneers in feminism
Examples: Mary Astell, Mary Wollstonecraft
Wealthy women helped spread ideas by hosting social gatherings, called salons
Legacy of Sci. Rev. & Enlightenment
Ideas of Enlightenment helped inspire uprisings/revolutions of 18th and 19th centuries
People looked less to royalty and the church for guidance – relied more on themselves (individualism)
Sci. Revolution sped up technological development, medical advances

7. EXIT TICKET Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
What is the difference between the Heliocentric and Geocentric theories? Which one did Galileo support?
What are the two main ideas that the Enlightenment stressed and focused on?
How were women involved in the Enlightenment? (Describe one way.)

8. CHALLENGE QUESTION!
Use complete sentences to answer today’s question.
Think about the political views of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.
Write a brief statement in support of each scholar’s views. Why is Hobbes correct? Why is Locke correct?
If you were president of the United States, which view would you lean towards?
BACK