The Scientific Revolution Flashcards
What did people believe before the Scientific Revolution?
They believed in a concept of “natural philosophy”. They wanted more to ask fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, it’s purpose, and how it functioned. Aristotle theory was this: the earth is at the center of the universe. It moved around 10 transparent spheres. This was accepted and used did two thousand years.
Nicolaus Copernicus
Polish astronomer who theorized that the stars and planets, including the earth, revolve around the sun. He created the Copernican hypothesis which said that the stars were at rest, and earths motion caused them to appear at night, the universe was of staggering size, and that the earthly world was different from the heavenly one. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Catholic Church in 1616 condemned this hypothesis.
Tycho Brahe
Johannes Kepeler
1: Danish astronomer who built a sophisticated observatory. He observed the stars with his naked eye. He believed that all planets evolve around the sun.
2: 3 main laws of planetary motion: Orbits around the sun are elliptical rather than circular, planets do not move at a uniform speed, and the time it takes for a planet to complete its orbit is related to its distance from the sun. He confirmed Copernicans theory and broke Aristotle’s.
Galileo
Developed the experimental method which, instead of speculating about what might or should happen, Galileo conducted controlled experiments to see what actually did happen. Resulting from his experiments, he formulated the law of inertia which says that rest isn’t the natural state of objects, unless stopped by an outside force. Galileo used his telescope to observe the moons of Jupiter which further helped the Copernican theory. Galileo was criticized by the Catholic Church and eventually charged for heresy.
Sir Isaac Newton
Known for his law of universal gravitation as well as his 3 laws of motion, which was confirmed by Galileo. The law of universal gravitation says that every body in the universe attracts every other body whereby the force of attraction is proportional to the quantity of matter of the objects.
Causes for Scientific Revolution
1: Permanent universities were established due to this. Science emerged from just a minute, weak branch of philosophy.
2: the Renaissance stimulated Scientific progress. There was a recovery of classic works by Greek mathematicians by Renaissance humanists search for knowledge. The recovery of mathematical texts showed that classic mathematicians had their differences.
Renaissance patrons also supported science as well as art and writers.
3: navigation was a big deal. Ship captains needed to chart their positions accurately and risks of trade need to be reduced. The king of Portugal funded a team of mathematicians to develop the first navigation Manuel. Other important things were the barometer, thermometer, pendulum clock, microscope, and air pump
4: better instruments were made. There were more efficient ways to gain info about the world.
Francis Bacon
René Descartes
1: helped formulate empiricism, which was a general theory of inductive reasoning. Speculation did nothing, he said, and the only way to obtain evidence for theories is thorough analyzation and research. His empiricism and experimentation formed the backbone of the scientific method.
2: Said it was necessary to doubt everything that could be reasonably doubted and use deductive reasoning from self evidence principles to ascertain scientific laws. His reasoning reduced all substances to “matter and “mind” (Physical to spiritual) This was known as Cartesian Dualism. His famous phrase is “I think, therefore I am”
Consequences with the Scientific Revolution
1: government supported research. The scientific community became tied with the state and its agendas. National academies of science were created under state leadership
2: the Scientific Revolution introduced a new, revolutionary way of gaining knowledge.
3: scientific academies did not accept women, which created Barriers for females
4: it had no economic impact, just a social impact.
5: created easier and safer exploration and trade, led directly to the Enlightenment, and medical knowledge helped quality of life.
Anton Von Leeuwenhoek
William Harvey
1: Father Of microscopy, his use of the microscope led him to observe and research bacteria, organisms and blood caterpillars
2: Researched and observed that the heart pumps blood and it moves through the body. This was a turning point in previous ideas.
