The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Flashcards
During the scientific revolution, what common part of life influenced every other part of life?
Religion
What is geocentrism?
The idea that earth is the center of the universe
Why did people think that Earth was the center of the universe?
The Church said it was true. And it was also based on observation by the naked eye and the fact that people did not feel the earth moving, so it must not be moving.
What major theme occurred in the Scientific Revolution?
Old assumptions were replaced with new theories. People wanted proof from the Church.
What is the difference between assumptions and theories?
Assumptions have no proof. Theories do.
What did Ptolemy believe in?
Geocentric Model
What caused the change from geocentrism to heliocentrism?
The Renaissance and invention of new instruments in navigation.
What did Nicolaus Copernicus do?
He doubted the geocentric model, supported the heliocentric model, made up epicycles, and wrote “On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres”
True of False: Nicolaus Copernicus created the heliocentric model
False: This was not his original thought, but he was the only one brave enough to publish it.
What was the Church’s reaction to “On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres”?
They asked for Copernicus to prove his theory and he couldn’t, so the Church didn’t have to take any action.
What did Tycho Brahe do?
He studied the stars trying to prove geocentrism, but actually proved that heliocentism was correct. He didn;t want to believe this, so he made up his own theory by combining helio and geo. Tychonian view= geocentric- heliocentric view
Who was Johan Kepler and what did he do?
He was Tycho’s assistant and created “Kelper’s Laws of Planetary Motion”.
What did “Kelper’s Laws of Planetary Motion” say?
- Planets do not move in perfectly circular orbits, they move in elliptical orbits.
- Planets do not have a constant speed in orbit.
- The closer to the Sun, the faster the planet orbits the Sun.
What did Galileo write?
“Starry Messenger” and “The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems”
What is the “Starry Messenger”? What was the reaction from this book?
It included Galileo’s observations of the surface of the moon, the moons of Jupiter, sun spots, and the phases of Venus. Galileo’s observations backed up heliocentrism. The Church summoned Galileo to Rome and told him to be quiet.
What is “The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems”? What was the reaction from this book?
This book showed both heliocentric and geocentric views (I’m not quiet sure about what it includes). The Church made Galileo recant (take back) his book or he would be excommunicated from the Church. Galileo was put on house arrest.
What instument made Galileo’s findings possible?
The telescope
What is the scientific method?
A logical procedure for gathering and tests ideas.
What did Francis Bacon do?
He supported empericism and created inductive reasoning.
What did Rene Decartes do?
He created deductive reasoning and said the quote “I think, therefore I am”
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Inductive- Take an idea/ pattern and create a bigger concept (Mr. W and Mrs. H are nice teachers. All teachers must be nice because they are teachers.)
Deductive- Take a broad idea and make a specific idea (All teachers are nice. Mr. W is a teacher, so he must be nice.)
What did Sir Isaac Newton do?
He picked up where Kepler left off- answering “Why?”. He discovers it is because of gravity. He creates the “Law of Universal Gravitation” and “The Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy” He is a deist.
What was in the “Law of Universal Gravitation”?
It stated that every object affects every other object. The degree of which depends on mass and distance. it also explained why planets obit the Sun and not the earth.
What is Deism?
The belief that there is a God, but He does not interact daily with earth.
What did Newton use to explain deism and how?
He used a clock. He said that God is the clock maker and winds up the clock, then lets it go because it can take care of itself.
What is cosmology?
The study of what is beyond us
The Enlightenment was a _____ time period
secular
What does secular mean?
Of this world, nonreligous
During the Enlightenment, what organization does NOT play a big role in society that usually does?
The Church
What were the views of Thomas Hobbes?
He believed in an absolute monarchy because it was the only thing strong enough to hold people’s natural evil desires in check.
What book did Thomas Hobbes write?
“Leviathan”
What shaped Hobbes’s view that society was naturally evil? What side did he take in this event?
He lived through the English Civil War. He was a royalist.
What is a “Social Contract”?
An idea of the relationship between the people and ruler. The Social Contract changed where the power came from.
What was Hobbes’s “Social Contract”?
The monarchy has all the power from the people. The people agree to give up their freedoms for protection. The contract was unbreakable.
What change did the Social Contract make?
It changed where the power came from. Before, power had come from God. Now it comes from the people. Divine Right –> Consent of the Governed
What did John Locke believe?
He believed in a limited monarchy that was only strong enough to support natural rights. He also believed people were naturally good.
What were the three natural rights?
Life, Liberty, Property
What shaped Locke’s ideas?
Glorious Revolution
What was Locke’s Social Contract?
The monarchy has only a little power over the people. If the monarchy is not supporting the people well, it is the people’s duty to rebel and choose a new leader (The right to revolution)
What was Locke’s famous quote? Where can we see his ideas today?
“Tabula Rasa”- Blank slate. When people are born, they are blank slates and their experiences write on the slates. In the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence
What did Hobbes think would happen if the people governed themselves?
There would be a war of all against all
What type of evidence did Locke use to back up his theory?
Biblical and logical
Ok for the next three questions, think about a Venn Diagram comparing Hobbes’s and Locke’s ideas
:))
Hobbes-
Government is to protect us from ourselves
Sovereignty- the monarch
No power limitations for the government
No right to revolution
Both Hobbes and Locke-
Products of their time
Believed that the people gave power (consent of the governed)
Locke-
Government protects three natural rights
Sovereignty- the people
There are limitations to the government
There is a right to revolution
Who were the French Philosophers? What were their beliefs?
Philosophes. They were the social critics of France. They applied logic and reason to all aspects of life. They believed they could always make something better and there should always be progress.
What did Voltaire do/ believe?
He wrote for freedom of speech and religious toleration. (logical/ reasonable rights)
How did Voltaire get into writing for freedom of speech?
He wrote about the French government using sarcasm, humor, and satire. The French government did not like this and arrested him.
What are some Voltaire quotes?
“Every man is guilty of the good he did not do”
“it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong”
“Love truth and pardon error”
“Men are equal; it is not birth, but virtue that makes the difference”
“I do not agree with a single word you say, but I will defend to my death your right to say it”
What did Montesquieu fight to get rid of?
Absolute monarchy
What did Montesquieu want to establish?
Checks and balances, separation of power
Who did Montesquieu hate?
Louis XIV
What country did Montesquieu want to model government after? What had just happened in this country?
The British after the Glorious Revolution
What book did Montesquieu write?
“On the Spirit of Laws”
What are some of Rousseau’s beliefs?
Very different of Hobbes, but similar to Locke except for the idea that the government should be in charge of protecting property. He believed in the importance of education and that women are not as good as men. He though that joining society was not mandatory, but if you did you had to give up some right (Civil Liberty).
What idea did Rousseau support? What book did he write?
General Will- majority rules and the minority is shut out and not part of the group. “The Social Contract”
What was Rousseau’s quote?
“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains”
What did Beccaria want to do?
He wanted to improve the justice system- make punishment equal to the crime, give a speedy trial, not use the death penalty or torture and for crimes not to be based of religious sins.
What did Beccaria write?
“On Crimes and Punishment”
According to Beccaria, why does criminal punishment and laws exist?
Criminal punishment- to further the social contract
Laws- not meant to punish people, but to prevent crimes happening beforehand
What is punishment that occurs as a result for a crime?
Retribution
What is punishment that is used to scare people into not committing a crime?
Deterrence
What did Beccaria say about punishment?
It must be certain, swift, and appropriately severe. Criminals must know/ fear punishment. Punishment must be closely related to the crime.
Who did Mary Wollstonecraft have an issue with? Why?
Rousseau because he thought women were lesser than men
What did Mary Wollstonecraft fight for?
Women’s Rights
How did she spread her ideas?
She went to salons (house parties) and talked to people in person
What was her quote?
“If all men are born free, why are women born slaves?”
What was the legacy of the enlightenment? What country does not support these ideas?
The belief that things can get better (progress can always happen to improve society), secular time period, and the importance of the individual. France.
Why didn’t people speak out against Ptolemy’s viewpoint?
The ideas of the Ptolemaic Universe were not challenged because over time, they had become a part of the catholic church. Speaking out against these ideas would be speaking out against the Church, which could get you killed.
Why didn’t Copernicus get in trouble for having these views/ideas?
Copernicus did not get to feel the lasting affects of his views because he died only a year after getting his book published.
What did Copernicus get wrong with his theories?
Copernicus’s ideas were slightly off because he believed that the planets that orbited the Sun followed circular paths instead of elliptical paths.
How did Diderot help spread the ideas of the Enlightenment?
Diderot helped create the book “Encyclopedie” that gathered, organized, and explained knowledge to any literate person.
How did Galileo prove his theory about objects and the effect gravity has on them? What was significant about this event?
To prove his theory that shape, not weight, altered the way gravity affected objects, Galileo separated factors, went through with testing his experiment, and comprehended how to best collect data without modern technology. This was important because it helped prove the scientific method.
