Chapter 4 (Renaissance Science & Philosophy) Flashcards
Renaissance
period from about 1450 to about 1600 when there was a rebirth of the open objective inquiry that had characterized the early Greek philosophers
-Humanism
a viewpoint that existed during the Renaissance. It emphasized 4 themes: (1) individualism, (2) a personal relationship with God, (3) interest in classical wisdom, (4) negative attitude toward Aristotle’s philosophy
Denotes an intense interest in human beings, as if we were discovering ourselves for the first time
Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499):
Founded a Platonic academy in 1462 and sought to do for Plato’s philosophy what the Scholastics had done for Aristotle
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374):
A renaissance humanist referred to by many historians as the father of the Renaissance.
He attacked Scholasticism as stifling the human spirit and urged that the classics be studied not for their religious implications but because they were the works of unique human beings.
He insisted that God had given humans their vast potential so that it could be utilized.
Petrarch’s views about human potential helped stimulate the many artistic and literary achievements that characterized the Renaissance
Giovannic Pico (1463-1494)
Maintained that humans, unlike angels and animals, are capable of changing themselves and the world. He believed that all philosophical positions should be respected and the common elements among them sought
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
A Renaissance humanist who opposed fanaticism, religious ritual, and superstition. He argued in favor of human free will.
Martin Luther (1483-1545)
Was especially disturbed by corruption within the church and by the church’s emphasis on ritual.
He believed that a major reason for the church’s downfall was its embracing of Aristotle’s philosophy, and he urged a return to the personal religion that Augustine had described.
He accepted Augustine’s concept of predestination but denied human free will.
His attack on the established church contributed to the Reformation, which divided Europe into warring camps
Reformation
The attempt of Luther and others to reform the Christian church by making it more Augustinian in character. This effort resulted in the division of western European Christianity into Protestantism and Roman Catholicism
Protestantism
The religious movement that denied the authority of the pope and Aristotle. It argued against church hierarchy and ritual and instead wanted a simple, deeply personal, and introspective religion like that described by St. Paul and St. Augustine
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)
Like the earlier Greek and Roman Skeptics, Montaigne believed there was no objective way of distinguishing among various claims of truth. His doubts concerning human knowledge stimulated a number of subsequent thinkers such as Bacon and Descartes
Ptolemy (fl. Second century A.D.):
the Greco-Egyptian astronomer whose synthesis of earlier and contemporary astronomical works came to be called the Ptolemaic system
Ptolemaic System
A conception of the solar system that has earth at its center. During the Middle Ages, the Ptolemaic system was widely accepted because it (1) agreed with everyday experience, (2) was able to predict and account for all astronomical phenomena known at the time, (3) gave humans a central place in the universe, and (4) thus agreed with the biblical account of creation
Aristarchus of Samos (ca. 310-230 BC)
sometimes called the Copernicus of antiquity, Aristarchus speculated that the planets, including the earth, rotate around the sun and that the earth rotates on its own axis, and he did so almost 1,700 years before Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
Argued that the earth rotated around the sun and therefore the earth was not the center of the solar system and the universe as the church had maintained.
Geocentric theory
The theory proposed by Ptolemy, that the sun and planets rotate around the earth
