Module 3: Intellectual Revolutions that Define Society Flashcards
A time of great change in Europe as scholars began to question ideas that had been accepted for hundreds of years.
1300-1600
Before the 1500s, scholars generally decide what was true or false by referring to ()
ancient Greek or Roman author or to the bible
religious movement that prompted followers to challenge accepted ways of thinking about God and salvation
Reformation
In the beginning of mid-1500’s, few scholars published works that challenged the ideas of ancient thinkers and the church. As scholars replaced old assumptions w/ new theories, they launched a change in European thought that historians call ______
Scientific revolution
The scientific revolution was a ______ about the natural world, based upon careful observations and a willingness to question accepted beliefs.
new way of thinking
belief that the Earth was an immovable object located at the center of the universe
Geocentric Theory
Geocentric theory was proposed by (1) and expanded by (2)
- Aristotle
- Ptolemy
sun-centered theory proposed by astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who reasoned out that indeed, the stars, the earth, and the other planets revolved around the sun
Heliocentric theory
Kepler’s mathematical laws showed that planets revolve around the sun in ()
elliptical orbits
He believed that by better understanding the world, scientists would generate practical knowledge that would improve people’s lives. He attacked medieval scholars for relying too heavily on the conclusions of Aristotle & other ancient thinkers.
Francis Bacon
An approach that instead of reasoning from abstract theories, scientists must experiment and then draw conclusions.
Empiricism or The Experimental Method
Like Bacon, he believed that scientists needed to reject old assumptions & teachings. Rather than using experimentation, he relied on mathematics and logic.
Rene Descartes
- also known as the age of reason
- emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith
Enlightenment
He embodied Enlightenment ideals w/ his scientific experiments & philantrophic endeavors.
Benjamin Franklin
Humans are capable of using their faculty of reason to gain knowledge.
Rationalism
