The Scientific Revolution and The Age of Enlightenment (18 th Century)

1. The Scientific Revolution and The Age of Enlightenment (18th Century) MWH UHS Mr. Moran

2. Identification and Definition • Scientific Revolution • a series of changes in the structure of European thought • the abstraction of human knowledge into separate sciences, and the view that the world functions like a machine. • Changed the way people thought and viewed the natural world • Enlightenment • An intellectual movement in which… • Certain thinkers and writers (primarily in London and Paris) believed that they were more enlightened than their compatriots • movements which in fact named itself. • They believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition, tyranny, and to build a better world

3. Where to begin? • It all starts with crazy monks and alchemy… • Education and knowledge was lost in the Middle Ages • The Islamic word preserved the Aristotelean and Platonic philosophy • Originally, Aristotle based knowledge on a kind of empiricism: • he would investigate a question by a) examining what everyone else had said about the matter, b) making several observations, and finally, c) deriving either general or probable principles on the matter from both a and b • This method was used to focus on material and religious elements.

4. Limitations of the Middle Ages • Catholicism was the major power • Only a heretic would question biblical explanation • Education was limited to clergy • Education was limited to religious elements • Those who were successful and understood the discoveries were scared to report their findings • Advances were neither reported nor made public However Science and Religion agreed on some elements

5. The Church and Science • Ptolemy • Father of astronomy • Roman Citizen living in Egypt • Combined Aristotelian Philosophy and Horoscopic astrology • Used observation and previous interpretations of the sky to argue the GEOCENTRIC THEORY • Was considered the authority and was promoted/supported by the Church

6. The Church and Science • Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) • First astronomer to formulate the Heliocentric Theory • Removed the earth from the center of the universe • Published it right before his death • Starting point of Modern Astronomy • Starting point for the Scientific Revolution • His worked stimulated furthered scientific experimentation (Keplerand Galileo) • Others challenged previous scientific beliefs. • Copenican Revolution

7. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) • First to define planetary motion • Defined and mathematically proved • orbits , axis, and distance • First to explain how a telescope worked • As a Protestant he published with out having to deal with the Catholic Church

8. Galileoand the Church • Galileo defended and continued to work on Kepler and Copernicus theories. • Catholic Church brought Galileo’s beliefs to trial because his beliefs questioned the Catholic’s teachings