Lecture 10 - Mechanical Philosophy & The Royal Society Flashcards
Mechanical Philosophy?
Everything is matter in motion
- > just things colliding
- > give me initial conditions, and I’ll know everything
No occult forces (action @ distance) ->wtf is Astrology? Loses credibility ->You can't patch up the knife to heal a wound No Aristotelean tendencies ->no final cause, inherent properties
Atoms and “Corpuscles”
- > corpuscles are non-uniform, weird shapes
- > hooks, scews…
Roots of Mech Phil
Bunch of goons until Pierre Gassendi, Descartes.
1) Democritus with the atom.
2) Epicurius: World is eternal, meaningless collisions
- >doesn’t matter what you do
- >might as well enjoy!
3) Lucretius:
- >the famous one who spread other’s ideas
No guiding force, all random. Eternal, always will/have collided.
Pierre Gassendi
First to make M.P. palatable to Christians
->could not have become widespread without him
1) God started it, not eternal
2) God guides the collisions
Rene Descartes
Everything is matter in motion
Used different shaped particles
- > magnetism is tiny screws, filling tiny holes
- > repulsion when you put wrong screws, wrong holes
Anti-Aristotelean M.P., wanted to replace Arist
- > main difference, no final cause
- > matter inert
- > ONLY EFFICIENT CAUSES
- > and the cause is always “matter bumped into matter”
Mathematization of Nature?
Arist separated Math and N.P.
->but now people do both (+ recall Archimedes)
Galileo: 2 New Sciences
->describes velocity, geometric gravity -> parabola
Boyle: Particles in Gas
- > mechanical explanation, + math for laws of nature
- > less Volume means more collisions means Pressure
Sides of the Vacuum Debate? Example arguments and supporters of each?
World full of particles (PLENISM) or empty space between? (VACUISM)
Descartes: Plenist
- > you can change matter all you want, you can’t remove its 3D property
- > space is inherent to matter
- > space can’t exist without matter
- > vacuums impossible
- > world explained with vortices
- > when something moves, another rushes to fill in
- > planets just sit in vortices, no circular requirement
Torricelli: Vacuuism
- > turn mercury upside down in bowl of mercury
- > bubble at top, air couldn’t have gotten through
- > so proof of vacuum!
Boyle & Hooke: Vacuuism
->creates a vacuum, close enough to extinguish fire and kill animals
Experimental Philosophy
Galileo had many thought experiments
->unclear how many are theoretical vs actually done
Example from 2 New Sciences:
1 ->drop 2 balls of same material, 10 and 1 pounds
->aristotle says bigger = faster
->so if I tie them together, does it fall as 11, 10, or 1?
2 ->earth can move around sun without us flying off
->it’s just like dropping a ball on a moving boat
->we see it fall straight, shore sees it move in X
He does do important experiments too though
- > rolls balls down planes; distance is time squared
- > puts together with idea X, Y indy
Francis Bacon
FATHER OF EMPRICISM, EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY
->empiricism: everything comes from empirical proof
->need to sense everything
Published 1000 experiments
-But bacon’s “Experiment” ~= “Experience”
->”I know a guy who didn’t eat for days, and survived by smelling food” is an experiment
->do fear and shame spread?
THE NEW ATLANTIS:
- > utopia with the most amazing experiments
- > live forever, modify/transform animals….
- > lists things possible with experiments
- > alter features, prolong life, medicine…
- > just dedicate yourself to experiments, and it’ll all come true!
The Royal Society
Many experimentalist groups in London ~1640
- > discuss world’s experiments
- > met at pubs, apartments…
- > just talk science, no politics
1640-1650 turmoil, executes own king
->no leader for decade
1660 Restoration of Monarchy
->how to set up gov’t? theology?
John Wallis
- > asked society to put away theology, just science
- > reach consensus with witnesses
- > show how it’s done
Exclude dangerous people
A branch of the Restoration Government
->was not without influences, where Science was free from Uni and Gov’t
Hobbes
His work, LEVIATHAN
- > Church should be one with Gov’t
- > materialistic N.P
- > only things with matter exist; no God, no Soul
- > dangerous ideas if you want unity
Perpetually rejected from RS, but pointed problems with Hooke & Boyle’s Air Pump
- > it leaks, can’t get all air out
- > almost nobody can replicate it, but one who almost did gets different results
R.S. Experiments?
1) Blood transfusion
- >give a crazy man “lamb’s blood” infusion
2) Hooke’s Instruments
- >ships depth
- >water samples from bottom of ocean
- >air pump (+Boyle)
Hooke gives idea of witnessed, replicable experiments
->detailed accounts, like today’s lab report
Proof for others to see and verify, need Witnesses
Micrographia
Hooke’s paper, first RS puts their stamp on
- > reveals new micro world
- > like Galileo’s telescopes with space
- > breakthrough in science and RS reputation
- > mould, fly eyes, snowflakes
