Lecture 4: Renaissance Science and Philosophy Flashcards
What were the four major themes of Renaissance humanism?
Individual potential, personal religion instead of the institutionalized, interest in the classic, negative attitude toward Aristotle
Why did the humanists break the authority of the organized church and Aristotle’s philosophy?
To foster a scientific attitude free from dogma
What did Kepler contribute to our understanding of the solar system?
The paths of planets are elliptical. Also did pioneer work in optics.
What did Copernicus contribute to our understanding of the solar system?
Copernicus demonstrated that the earth was not the center of the solar system
How did Galileo contribute to scientific progress?
Summarized experiments mathematically and emphasized the lawful nature of the universe
How did Newton view the universe?
As a complex, lawful, knowable machine that God had created, set in motion, and then abandoned.
What law has Newton discovered?
Extended the work of Galileo by showing that the motion of all objects in the universe could be explained by the law of gravitation.
What was Luther’s reformation about?
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.
What influence did Newton’s science have on psychology?
It led to the belief that science could answer all questions
What did Francis Bacon emphasize in scientific investigations?
Inductive reasoning and problem-solving
What did Descartes conclude about sensory information?
It can be trusted because God created it
What concept did Descartes introduce in understanding the mind–body relationship?
Interactionism
What is Descartes’s version of dualism called?
Interactionism
What did Descartes believe about the innate ideas in the mind?
They were naturally present in the mind
What did Descartes contribute to psychology?
Description of the reflex and stimulation of animal research
How did the philosophers and scientists of the 16th and 17th centuries view religion?
As a source of dogma
What motivated the methods of thinkers of the 16th and 17th centuries in their work?
Apparent errors in previously accepted dogma
What characterized the transitional figures of the Renaissance period?
Antidogma
What were the four sources of error described by Francis Bacon in scientific investigation?
Idols of the cave (biases resulting from personal experience), idols of the tribe (biases resulting from human nature), idols of the marketplace (biases due to the traditional meanings of word), idols of the theater (blind acceptance of authority or tradition)
What role did Bacon envision for science in addressing human problems?
Science should aim at the solution of human problems
What did Descartes call the innate ideas present in the mind?
A priori concepts
What concept did Descartes introduce that became essential in psychology?
Reflex
What did Marin Luther (1483–1546) believe in?
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 of the established church contributed to the Reformation, which divided Europe into warring camps.
