Chapter 14: New Directions in Thought and Culture in the 16th and 17th Centuries Flashcards
Galileo and his views on how nature should be understood and explained
Mathematically – the universe was rational, however it’s rationality was not that of medieval scholastic logic. Mathematical regularity was evident to Galileo throughout physical nature. A world of qualities (beauty, color, taste) being replace by quantity (mathematical relationships, rationality, mechanistic).
17th century scientists
Capernicus, Brahle, Kepler, Galileo, Newton
Characteristics/Descriptions of the Scientific Revolution
The process that established the new view of the universe. Often reexamining and rethinking theories and data from the ancient world. Not rapid. Complex movement with many false starts. Did not involve more than a few hundred people.
Ptolemaic
Aristotle and Ptolemy’s ideas together. Made mathematical calculations relating to astronomy. Believed in geocentrism. Church believed in this.
Copernican
Heliocentrism - earth revolved around the sun
Nicolaus Copernicus’ contributions to the Scientific Revolution
Published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres in 1543. Laid foundation and springboard for other natural philosophers.
Tychonic
Heliogeocentrism
Tycho Brahe’s contributions to the Scientific Recolution
Heliogeocentrism and astronomical data. Foundation used by Kepler, who was his assistant.
Johannes Kepler’s contributions to the Scientific Revolution
Supported Copernicus in heliocentrism with elipitical orbits. Published A New Astronomy in 1609.
Facts about Isaac Newton and his contributions to the Scientific Revolution
1642-1727. Published in 1683 Principia Mathematica, the idea of universal gravitation. One of the forefathers of empiricism.
Galileo’s literary works
Starry Messenger: Data reports on the skies looking through his improved telescope
Letters on Sunspots: Discovered that there are spots on the sun and that the sun rotated
Galileo’s views of universe
Heliocentrism
Galileo’s major contributions to Scientific Revolution
1609: Improved the telescope
Medici stars: Moons of Jupiter, named after Medici to gain patronage
Mechanism and what natural philosophers believed it achieved
Sought to explain the world in terms of mechanical metaphors. Nature being conceived as machinery removed much of the mystery of the world and the previous assumption of the presence of divine purpose in nature.
Facts about Francis Bacon and beliefs
1561-1626. Lawyer, high royal official, author of histories, moral essays and philosophical discourse. Father of empiricism and of experimentation in science. Not a natural philosopher. Attacked the scholastic belief that most truth had already been discovered and only required explanation as well as the scholastic reverence for authority in intellectual life. Believed scholastic thinkers paid too much attention to tradition and ancient knowledge. Wanted change and innovation.
Contributions of Francis Bacon to scientific inquiry
1605: The Advancement of Learning
1620: Novum Organum
1627: The New Atlantis
Attacked the scholastic belief that most truth had already been discovered and only required explanation as well as the scholastic reverence for authority in intellectual life. Believed scholastic thinkers paid too much attention to tradition and ancient knowledge. Wanted change and innovation.
Cartesian Dualism
Thinking things vs things that occupy space
Beliefs on knowledge according to Francis Bacon
Human knowledge should improve the human condition.
Descartes view of nature
1637: Discourse on Method - rejected scholastic philosophy and education. Advocated thought founded on a mathematical model.
Deduction. Deduce existence of God. Human reason can fully comprehend the world. Thinking things vs things occupying space. Rejected all forms of intellectual authority except conviction of his own reason. Could not doubt his own act of thinking and existence.
Thomas Hobbes’ literary work and favored form of government
1651: Leviathan. Absolutism.
Thomas Hobbes’ Social Contract
Humans can escape terrible state of nature by entering a political contract according to which they agreed to live in a commonwealth rightly ruled by a recognized sovereign. Only a contract between ruler and those being ruled could grant people the ability to carry out limits of free exercise of natural human pursuits of self-interest.
Thomas Hobbes’ view on humanity
Humans only exist to meet needs of daily life, not higher spiritual ends. Humans have a “perpetual and restless desire” for power which leads to competition and quarrels.
John Locke’s literary works
First Treatise of Government: Rejected arguments for absolute government rooted in patriarchy. No major political philosopher appealed to the patriarchal model after this publication.
Second Treatise of Government: Government should be responsible and responsive to the concerns of the governed. The natural human state as one perfect freedom and equality through rights of life, liberty and property.
John Locke’s social contract
Justified rebellion when the government defies laws of nature, like Thomas Aquinas.
John Locke’s view on the role of the government
The government is responsible for securing the rights of life, liberty and property to their subjects.
John Locke’s views on people and their rights
Humans are of reason and basic goodwill. Rights include right of life, liberty and property.
Tabula Rasa
The notion that everyone is born with a mind like a blank slate which is written on while they experience life. Denounces original sin.
Role of women during the scientific revolution
Weren’t really present, weren’t admitted to universities, so they couldn’t have a major impact in it.
Fields of study in which Maria Winkelmann contributed to the scientific revolution
Astrology (discovered a comet), all the credit was given to her husband
Movements/events of the 18th century influenced by the new science
The Enlightenment, The Academies of Science around Europe were developed, the Catholic Church was damaged.
Trial of Galileo
- Condemning Galileo to heresy and imprisonment if he didn’t recant (which he did) by the Council of Trent which prohibited private interpretation of new theory.
Blaise Pascal’s literary works
Pensées (Thoughts) - Refuted dogmatism and skepticism. Formulated his views on these matters in a provocative collection of reflections on humankind and religion.
Pascal’s views on God and mankind
God: A loving God exists.
Mankind: Humans, corrupt by nature, are unworthy of God.
Believed in Jansenist/Calvinist views: Human being’s total sinfulness, eternal predestination to heaven of hell by God, and their complete dependence on faith and grace for knowledge of God and salvation.
Pascal’s religious affiliation
Jansenist
Pascals’ opposition to groups of people and reasons
Jesuits, believed that their arguments designed to minimize and excuse sinful acts distorted Christian teaching.
Skeptics, they either denied religion altogether (atheists) or accepted i only as it conformed to reason (deists).
Pascal’s famous wager
It’s better to believe in God, just in case.
Physic-theology
Idea of Bible and Nature being of the same author - should compliment each other. Religious thought deducted from observing nature.
Causes of Witch Hunts
Superstition, speculation of unknown, used as scapegoats, gap of high magic (church) to low magic (civilian).
Targets of Witchcraft
Mostly women, 40 years or older that were single or widowed, midwives, “cunning folk” healers or herbalists.
Reasons for end of witch-hunts
The new science brought reasoning.
Emergence of Baroque Art
Emerged in papal Rome. Mechanism of Catholic counter-Reformation.
Characteristics of Baroque art and technique
Naturalistic as opposed to idealized. Faithfulness to nature mirrored paralleled the interest in natural knowledge associated with the rise of the new science and the deeper understanding of human anatomy that was achieved during this period.
Baroque Art
Style associated with 17th century painting, sculpture and architecture.
Baroque Artists
Michelangelo Caravaggio
Baroque Monuments
St. Peter’s Basilica
