SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION Flashcards
What are the three key takeaways of the scientific revolution?
- People often think it is against religion (it is not)
- Self-Conscious
- It rested on close social relationships
What was the relationship between science and religion in the scientific revolution?
Science and religion go hand-in-hand in much of the early modern period
*Some of the greatest scientists of the period are also clergy: Athanasius Kircher (1602 – 1680), a Jesuit priest, was the first person to propose germ theory
What was the goal with science in this era?
Scientific research is just one way to understand God’s creation
*“A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.“ – Francis Bacon, The Essays or Counsells (1625)
*Challenges to Biblical truth (e.g. heliocentrism) cause friction
Who is Francis Bacon?
father of the scientific revolution
Highly educated (trained as a lawyer)
Best remembered for his work on scientific method
What was interesting about Bacon’s personal life?
served as King James I’s Attorney General and Lord Chancellor
Sexuality a matter of debate Married, but allegedly had male lovers (including possibly King James VI & I
What was Bacon’s scandal?
1621: fall from grace in corruption scandal Bacon was accused of accepting gifts from people with business before the Attorney General and using it to cover his debt
What is “New Atlantis” ?
Francis Bacon’s unfinished novel
*Utopian fiction: imagining what a better, more rational world would look like
- linked with the development of science fiction
What is Solomon’s house in “New Atlantis”?
Salomon’s House: ideal scientific institution using Baconian methods to understand and harness nature for the common good
*All the jobs in Salomon’s house are divided up amongst the fellows
Baconian Science
How should scientific research be done?
1.Observation and description of what you observe
2.Classifying your observations
3.Rejecting anything that appears, after steps 1 & 2, to not be connected with the phenomenon you are observing
Baconian Science
What is Skepticism?
questioning and doubting your assumptions
Baconian Science
What is Empiricism?
observation is your most reliable source
What is Bacon’s idea on God’s plan and knowledge?
Understanding God’s creation is a way of understanding God’s plan
Understanding God’s plan = the plan coming to an end
What is the royal society in 1630s?
informal letter networks circulate ideas about science, religion, and other topics of interest
What is the royal society in 1640s?
group of scholars known as the “Invisible College” begin meeting informally in London & Oxford to discuss scientific research
*Directly inspired by Salomon’s House
What is the royal society in 1662?
official charter of the Royal Society signed by Charles 2
How did the royal society operate? (President, secretary, and fellow)
The president oversaw the meetings and handled disputes
*The secretary maintained the records of the society
a fellow through an election process = existing members have to vote you in (still to this day)
What was a regular meeting at the royal society?
h scientific papers would be read out loud
*Meeting minutes, received letters, and presented papers are published in the Philosophical Transactions (model for academic journals today)
What did members of the royal society have to do after Cromwell died?
HARD pivot, many failed and faded into obscurity
What is “Gentleman scientist”?
financially-independent, well-regarded, a man of means but not necessarily an aristocrat (perhaps a lesser son)
*“A gentleman and a scholar”
*There is a code of etiquette to scientific research
*In a scientific dispute, the more well-regarded person often wins
What is an “Intelligencer”?
someone who circulates information to interested parties via letter networks
Scientific research demands to be ____?
Scientific research demands to be shared = replicability
________ became the first Secretary of the Royal Society with the specific mandate of leveraging & growing his European network of scientist.
Henry Oldenburg
How is the English crown directly involved in scientific advancements?
Charted at english crown (english crown directly involved)
- so other countries can’t really spread scientific discovery
- Or if war w/country - cannot write to friends from there
How are societies funded?
Founded by scientists
Founded by patrons
Founded by the government
The age of disciplinary
How did fields change over time?
Scientists before: Be well versed in many different topics
Now: Fields to focus on
- Bracket off science as distinct practice (also subdisciplines ex. chymestry)
What was the lab like for gentlemen scientists?
Gentleman scientists owned laboratory space and envisioned experiments
*The day-to-day work was often conducted by assistants (side job for educated working men)
*Note-taking and letter-writing performed by secretarie
What are the two ways women would be involved in Labs?
- As patrons
- As note-takers
Were women every actually scientists?
Yes!
*Émilie du Châtelet (1706 – 1749): mathematician and physicist, pioneer in study of kinetics
*Caroline Herschel (1750 – 1848): astronomer, first woman in England to be paid for scientific study
Were there failures?
Yes! perpetual motion machine
Goal that it could do something forever (ex. forever distill water)
Religious issue with this:
Does it have a soul?
Will it unluck immortality?
What happens after the scientific revolution?
Enlightenment
Emphasis on empirical observation, skepticism, and using reason
Science as study and career
Science in colonies
