Warm Up

List as many inventions as you

can think of that were developed
in your lifetime. Pick the most
important and the least
important. EXPLAIN WHY
How did scientific discoveries change people’s attitudes
towards natural events and religious faiths?
 Reasons for Scientific Revolution
• The Scientific Revolution began in 1550s
because of the recent discoveries in other
areas of European life:
– During the
Renaissance,
Renaissance
people began
to question old
beliefs & thought
that humans could
accomplish anything
 Reasons for Scientific Revolution
• The Scientific Revolution began in 1550s
because of the recent discoveries in other
areas of European life:
– During the
Reformation,
Reformation
people began
to question
the ideas of the
Roman Catholic
Church
 Reasons for Scientific Revolution
• The Scientific Revolution began in 1550s
because of the recent discoveries in other
areas of European life:
– In the Age of
Exploration, Because of the
the discovery Renaissance,
of new lands led Reformation, & the
Age of Exploration…
people to search people began to
for other “new” question everything
things
 The Scientific Revolution
• New technology combined
with innovative approaches to
seeking knowledge led to new
wave of thought
• A general weakening in full
reliance on the works of the
ancients (e.g. Plato &
Aristotle)
• Theology’s claim to be the
summit of intellectual activity
challenged
• Bacon: Scientific Method
• Descartes: any truth can be
reached through reason
Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
• Polish scholar
• Traditional belief: earth is the
center of the universe
(geocentric)
• Daring idea: the earth was
round and rotated on its axis as
it revolved around the sun
– Heliocentric
– A dangerous and revolutionary
idea, not published to the year of
his death
• Lasting impact: Science of
Astronomy
 Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
• Provided mathematical
proof for Copernicus’
hypotheses
• Refuted some of
Copernicus’ view by
proving the planets moved
in ellipses around the sun,
not perfect circles
• Found that planets travel at
different speeds
Galileo Galilei (1564-1652)
• Faced serious church opposition for
his ideas; seen as a rejection of the
Scripture
• Traditional Belief: celestial bodies are
made of gas and perfectly round
• Daring Idea:
– Not all heavenly bodies revolve around
the earth or are smooth
– Used telescope to observe the heavens
– Excommunicated and forced to recant
many statements
• Lasting Impact:
– Helped to establish the universal laws of
physics
– Perfected the telescope
– Proved Copernicus’ heliocentric theory
 Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
• Traditional Belief: Divine
powers controlled the
movement of planets
• Daring Idea: a force pulls
objects to Earth and keeps
the planets in orbit
– Gravity!!
– Used math to explained nature
– Explained and expanded on the
work of Copernicus, Kepler,
and Galileo
• Lasting Impact: theories
created the foundation for
astronomy, engineering, and
physics
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
• Traditional Belief: it was
considered a sin to dissect
humans to study; dissected
animals instead
• Daring Idea: in order to
understand the human
anatomy, you must observe
humans
– Drew precise sketches of the
hundreds of corpses he
dissected
• Lasting Impact: Science of
Anatomy and the full
understanding of the
human body
 William Harvey (1578-1657)
• Traditional Belief: food is
turned into blood in the
heart and arteries and
veins serve as air tubes
• Daring Idea: blood is
recycled through the heart
and arteries and veins
carry blood to and from
the heart
• Lasting Impact: Science
of Physiology
Are people overall good or bad?
If left unsupervised, will people make good choices or bad
choices?
What if you came to school and there was no
administration or teachers? Or just instructions to sit
down and do some work.
What does the phrase, “All men are created equal” mean to
you?
 • 17th and 18th century intellectuals
The Age of wanted to transform the social sciences
• Spurred on the Scientists changing the
Enlightenment natural sciences, the Enlightenment was
born
• The thinkers of the period came to be
called philosophes (Parisian salons)
• Marked by two characteristics-
optimism and rationality (Reason)
– Limited mostly to an urban and educated
group
• Began to ask: Why? and How?
• Saw universe as a machine and God as
the mechanic
• Believed reason could answer any
questions
 The English Thinkers
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) • John Locke (1632-1704)
– Argued that monarchy was the best form – Believed that humans are
of govt.
born with natural rights
– He saw no successful precedent for self-
rule (inalienable)
– People should obey their govt. – The job of the
regardless of the way they are treated
government is to protect
– Social Contract theory-gov’ts power
comes from the consent of the governed. those rights
• Life, liberty, property
– If govt. failed to protect
natural rights, the people
had the right to overthrow
– A government must have
the consent of the
governed
– Served as inspiration for
the American Revolution
 The French Thinkers
• Baron de Montesquieu • Voltaire
– Believed a govt. with a – wrote plays, essays, and books
separation of powers was in an entertaining and satirical
best style
– Mocked the church and royal
– 3 branches each checked by
court of France - exiled
the others
– Supported freedom of speech
• Mary Wollstonecraft and press
– Wrote of equal educational • “I disapprove of what you say,
opportunities for women but I will defend to the death
your right to say it.”
– Believed in the constitutional
limitation of the monarchy
 Enlightenment Opposition
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Immanuel Kant
– Enlightenment thinker, but – Reason could not solve
criticized the movement as metaphysical problems
a whole – Only faith can answer
– Claimed that people should metaphysical/spiritual
rely more on instinct and questions, e.g. the nature or
emotion instead of only existence of God
reason – Reason can answer physical
– Emphasized the importance world questions
of education & the need to – These two worlds can’t be
reform it used to explain each other
– he stated that the basis of
govt. is a social contract in
which people give up their
rights for the “general will”
a direct democracy
– Wrote The Social Contract
 Enlightened Despots
• Absolute Monarchs attempted make some reforms of the
Enlightenment; maintained power
• Joseph II of Austria (1780-1790)
– Religious toleration and freedom of press; equality of
civil rights
– Made Austrian school system the best in Europe
– Reformed too quickly and most reforms died with him
• Frederick the Great of Prussia (1740-1786)
– Viewed himself as the first servant of the state
– Practice religious toleration
– Retained serfdom, only reformed when it didn’t
conflict w/ the needs of the state
• Catherine the Great of Russia
– Contributed financially to Voltaire
– Attempted to compile the laws in Russia
– Reorganized local government
– Became intolerant of the thinkers & favored burning their books