Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution Flashcards
David Hume
Human mind is nothing but a bundle of impressions. Reason cannot be verified
Rousseau
“The Social Conflict”, individual freedoms, attacked rationalism as destruction of individual
“The Social Contract”, general will and popular sovereignty
Emergence of….
secular world view for 1st time in history
Three Main Concepts
- Natural Science and reasons could explain life
- Scientific method was capable of discovering laws of human society
- Progress
Fontenelle
“Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds” questioned absolute truth of religion
John Locke 2 writings
“Essay Concerning Human Understanding” & “Two Treaties of Civil Government”
John Locke ideas (4)
Tabula Rasa, blank slate, humans are basically good, government should provide law through consent of governed, gov’t should protect life liberty and property, people can rebel if these rights aren’t protected
Pierre Bayle
“Critical and Historical Dictionary” Complete toleration of ideas
Philosophies
Committed to fundamental reforms in society. Believed in concepts of the Enlightenment
Deism
Existence of God was real, rational approach to His form, “Clock Maker”
Diderot
“Encyclopedia” emphasized science and reason, criticizing religion, intolerance, injustice and tyranny
Voltaire (4)
Challenged traditional Catholic theology, hated injustice and called for religious toleration, criticized France’s rigid government
Chatelet
Published scientific article and translations (Newton’s “Principia”)
Montesquieu’s writing
“Spirit of Laws”
Montesquieu (3)
Separation of power into 3 branches, prevent tyranny and promote liberty, liked British monarchy
Copernican’s writing
“On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres” 1542
Copernicus’s three ideas
Stars don’t rotate- Earth does
Universe was of infinite size
No heavenly body in universe
Heliocentric
Brahe
Astronomer, believed geocentric, data later proved Copernicus’ theory
Kepler
3 laws of planetary motion- orbits are elliptical, planets do not move uniformly, time takes to orbit linked to rotation around sun.
Mathematically proved Copernicus’ theory
Galileo
Laws of motion, law of inertia, validated Copernicus’ with telescope, declared heretic
Causes of Scientific Revolution (2)
Renaissance, Navigational problems
Francis Bacon
Empiricism- general theory of inductive reasoning
Descartes
Correspondence between geometry and algebra. Cartesian dualism- matter and mind
Newton
Law of universal gravitation, Created a set of mathematical laws
