The scientific revolution Flashcards
What was the ‘scientific revolution’?
- Refers to the emergence of modern scientific methods after the middle of the 16th century, with new discoveries and debate peaking in the 17th century
- Helped to create a fundamentally different view of nature and the world
How did the scientific revolution begin?
When Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) questioned the ancient astronomical belief that the Earth was at the centre of the universe.
Important contributors to the scientific revolution
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) - laws of planetary motion would inspire Newton’s theory of gravity
Galileo (1564-1642) - discovery of 4 of the moons of Jupiter and an early appreciation of the role of the rotation of the Earth in relation to tides
Important contributors to the scientific revolution
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) - laws of planetary motion would inspire Newton’s theory of gravity
Galileo (1564-1642) - discovery of 4 of the moons of Jupiter and an early appreciation of the role of the rotation of the Earth in relation to tides
Francis Bacon
Isaac Newton
Francis Bacon
- Didn’t make a single scientific discovery himself - but is remembered instead for his contribution towards the scientific method
- Wanted to pursue the ‘experimental and the rational’ concepts that appear normal to the scientists of today (but were not part of the vocab of the pre-17th century thinkers)
What heavily influenced scientific thinking at this time?
- The beliefs of the Church - restricted scientific advancements for centuries
Key elements of Francis Bacon’s method
- Believed that scientific discovery is best aided by accumulating as much data as possible
- His method involved rejecting any preconceived theories or conclusions about the subject matter
- Thought that the methodical and meticulous observation of facts was best was to understand natural phenomena
Bacon’s influence
- Accomplished in philosophy, law and politics - Attorney General and Lord Chancellor
- After death in 1626 - other scientists attempted to emulate his ‘Baconian Method’ - and the empirical nature of his work was developed by philosophers such as Locke
- His ideas not widely implemented before 1640 - change in social attitudes that came about due to CR - his work was revisited by others
Lord Falkland
1610-43:
- Opened his house and estate to at Great Tea in Oxfordshire to learned thinkers - they used the rational method to question the problems that faced the Church of England
- Concluded it could benefit from religious toleration and arguing that a rational interpretation of the Bible shows that it contains many contradictions open to different interpretations
Therefore - no single domination had right to dictate the way people should worship
Isaac Newton
1643-1727
- One of the greatest and most influential scientists in history
- Theories about calculus, classical mechanics, gravity and laws of motion have remained relatively unaltered since his lifetime
- First letters to Royal Society - in 1672 - concerned his research into the spectrum of light - was soon invited to present his new invention - the reflective telescope
How was Galileo prevented from presenting an idea by the Catholic Church in Italy?
- Had suggested that the movements of heavenly bodies could be related to physics on earth but was effectively banned from promoting this theory
But by 1687 - Newton was able to present the idea - along with his most famous discovery of universal gravitation
Where did Newton present his discovery of universal gravitation?
‘Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica’
Newton - ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’
- He was well aware that he wouldn’t have been so successful if it wasn’t for earlier thinkers who began the scientific revolution
- His work represented the final stage of a long process of theory and discovery that evolved for over a hundred years
Newton - 1703
- Elected as the 12th president of the Royal Society - a post he held until his death 24 years later
