Topic 11 Rise of Science
Objectives
Knowledge:
1.
4.
To know the basic characteristics of modern science and its connection
with the Renaissance
To know how the Church had opposed the rise of science
To understand the impact of science on European view of the world and
the universe
To understand the relationship between rise of science and Renaissance
1.
2.
3.
4.
To read to learn
To have critical thinking
To compare sources
To have a sense of empathy
2.
3.
Skills:
Attitude:
To appreciate the value of modern science and its impact on our society.
Teaching Flow
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
Content
1
Question to
ponder
A question
To let students have a clear learning
focus
How is modern science different
from the traditional notion of
'truth'?
2
To know more
A brief introduction
To help students understand what an
experiment is
The experiment conducted by Isaac
Newton in 1666 as an example for
illustration
3
Task 1
Recalling
To assess students’ prior knowledge of
some of the basic elements of modern
science
The prism experiment about the
basic steps in a scientific
experiment that students have learnt
in science class
4
Task 2
Data-based activity
To help students understand how
science differs from the 'truth' held by
the Church and
how the Church reacted
Ways how the Church persecuted
scientists who advocated theories
contradictory to Church's teachings
5
Task 3
Data-based
comparison activity
To help students understand the
‘traditional’ belief of the universe in
Europe, and how it was challenged by
Copernicus's arguments
The two different views of the
universe
6
Task 4
Data-based
investigation
and
discussion
To introduce Newton’s main ideas and
explain how he continued the scientific
revolution
Newton's principles and
impact of rise of science on society
7
Extended
activities
Forum / Drama
To let students have deeper
understanding of this topic
1. Forum
“Science had triumphed over
religion since the 17th century." Do
you agree?
2. Drama
8
Conclusion
Summary chart
To consolidate the key points of this
topic
To explain and sum up the main
influences the rise of science had on
society in Europe
1
To know more
In science lessons, you had conducted this experiment. You passed a beam of white light
into a prism, and observed that it divided into seven colours. Did you know that this was
an experiment conducted by Isaac Newton in 1666? He discovered this while making a
telescope with different lenses, and he found that that it was refraction which separated the
colours.
Newton proved himself right with an experiment. We also know he was right because we
can conduct the same experiment, because an experiment is a repeatable event in which we
can observe the same action. Its key is reason and observation.
prism
white light
2
Source：http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Prism_rainbow_schema.png
Task 1: What is Science?
When you and Newton reach this scientific conclusion, certain steps have already taken
place! These steps formulate the essence of modern scientific method. Can you arrange the
following steps in order?
Experiment
Conclusion
Observation
Suggested answer: Hypothesis - Experiment
Hypothesis (assumption)
- Observation
- Conclusion
Topic 11
Rise of Science
Task 2: Religious persecutions
Modern science began to emerge in the 15th to the 16th centuries. It emphasized the use
of observation and experiment, all constituted a sharp contrast to the Church's
uncompromising insistence upon their own teaching. Some new scientific theories have
been considered as heresies by the Church.
Study Sources A and B carefully and then answer the following questions.
Source A is about religious persecutions
Religious persecutions
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Church was very concerned about heresies and
witchcraft (theories that did not seem to agree with to the Bible). Heretics and
witches were arrested and put on trials. Although people began to put their faith in
science, magic and witches were still very common. During this time, witches
were hunted down or burnt to death, sometimes with very little evidence. Apart
from persecuting witches, the Church also held trials on scientists. One famous
example was Giordano Bruno's case. Bruno was a supporter of Copernicus’ theory
and was burnt at the stake in 1600.
Source B shows one of the ways of religious persecution.
2
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Willisau_1447.JPG
1. According to Source A, what was considered as the standard of ‘truth’ in the 15th and
the 16th century? Explain your answer.
Suggested answer:
According to Source A, the Bible or the teaching of the Church was considered as the
standard of ‘truth’ in the 15th and the 16th century. Those who had ideas against the
Church were punished or even put to death.
2. With reference to Sources A and B, which adjective below best describes the Church's
attitude towards beliefs that were different from its own? Choose the right answer
from the following list of words. Identify the words from Source A which show this
attitude.
Welcoming
Hostile
Ignore
Open
Curious
Neutral
Suggested answer:
The Church’s attitude was hostile. The following words from Source A can show this
attitude: arrest, burnt to death
3. Which form of punishment is shown in Source B?
Suggest answer: Burnt to death
4. Do you think the punishment in Source B would enable the Church to consolidate its
power? Why?
Suggested answers:
The punishment could help the Church secure its position in Europe by creating more
fear of the Church among people, but it could not convince the people to put their faith
in the Church. The Church might lose its popularity even more.
4
Task 3: Did the sun go round the Earth?
Modern science was a fundamental breakthrough from the 'old' world by introducing
not only new perspectives of the universe, but also new scientific methods in the quest
for truth. Instead of blindly believed what the Church told them, people increasingly
relied on human reason, a belief which set its root in the rise of humanism during the
Renaissance. Gradually the people's faith in the Church was replaced by faith in human
reason.
Source C is about the belief that the earth was the centre of the universe
Before the 16th century, people thought that the world was in the centre of the
universe and the sun went round the earth. Arab astronomers had studied hard about
the movement of the planets. They noticed that Mars did not move in a straight line:
it went forward, back and forward again. This was a problem that many astronomers
tried to solve, but could not, because they all believed that the sun went round the
earth. This was because for centuries, the Church had taught that the truth about the
world was revealed in the Bible. And from its interpretation of the Bible, it was the
sun that went around the earth. The Church had for its support the Greek theory of
the universe as propounded by Aristotle, who believed that the earth was the centre
of the universe.
Topic 11
Rise of Science
Source D is a description of the beliefs and methods of Copernicus and Galileo
In 1539, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) came up with his theory that the Earth
went round the sun. Observation of the planets was there for all to see. His theory
explained the movements of the planets which people observed. However, this theory
took a strange and political turn as it went against the teaching of the Church. The
Church tried to stop the publication of Copernicus’ ideas. Copernicus died in 1543 at
about the time his book was published. It was widely read by scholars, but it was only
a hypothesis. However, Galileo (1564-1642) took it a step further when he published a
book in 1632 in which he proved that Copernicus’ theory was not only a guess, but
can be proved. He was required by the Church to take back his argument and was put
under house arrest.
1. Based on Sources C and D, fill in the blanks in the table below:
Suggested answer:
People before the 16th century
Copernicus and Galileo
Which is in centre of the
universe (Earth/Sun)?
the Earth
the Sun
How did they reach their
answer to this question?
based on their interpretation of
the __Bible_____ and the
theory by ___Aristotle _____.
formulated a
__hypothesis____,
based on
__observation____ of
the planets, and proved
it.
2. Who followed the principles of modern science?
Suggested answer:
Copernicus and Galileo
Task 4: Did science win over religion?
Source E is about Isaac Newton’s law of gravity.
Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity, and used that to explain the movement
of the planets. He published his famous book, Principia Mathematica, in 1687. In it,
Newton put forward the general principles of science:
1. Science only accepts theories that can explain what we observe.
2. Scientists look for causes which are sufficient to give the same effects when
being repeated in experiments.
3. Scientists draw conclusions from experiments and assume these conclusions to be
true until they are proved, by experiments, to be wrong.
5
1.
With reference to Sources D and E, how were Newton's scientific methods similar to
those of Copernicus and Galileo? (Hint: what are the keywords that they both
emphasize?)
Suggested answer:
They all emphasized the use of human observation and proving theories with
experiments. Their methods corresponded to the basic principles of modern science.
2. Group discussion: Newton's scientific methods soon became the foundation of modern
science. How do you think Europe would be transformed by these new developments in
science? Try to determine whether the item in each box would increase or decrease.
Then write down the reason(s). (See next page.)
Suggested answer:
Impact of the Rise of Science in
the 16th century
2
on the Church
on people and science
People's faith in the Church at that time
would increase/decrease
decrease
Reason:
Newly arising scientific theories had
proved that some of the Church's
teachings on the universe were wrong.
People's faith in human reason
would increase/decrease
increase
Reason:
People found out that by using their own
observation and reasoning they could find out
the truth, without blindly believing in what
the Church told them at that time.
Scientific discoveries would
increase/decrease
increase
Reason:
Scientists now learned to use observation and
experiments to find out more about the
universe.
People's interest in the world and the
universe would increase/decrease
increase
Reason:
Scientists and people now had more desire to
find out more about the universe after they
found out some traditional beliefs were
wrong.
Topic 11
Rise of Science
Extended Activity(1)
Forum : “Science had triumphed over religion since the 16th century.” Do you agree?
Teaching Tips:
Divide the class into two groups, with one side for and one side against the
statement.
Questions for discussion:
1. Was science successful in challenging the supremacy of the Church? Why?
2. Was the Church successful in controlling the rise of science? Why?
3. Which had more far-reaching impact on European society? The Church or
science?
Extended Activity(2)
7
Drama: A trial scene in the 17th century: Was the Earth flat?
Church)
(Scientists vs. the
Teaching Tips:

Imagine a group of scientists tried to argue that the Earth is a sphere, but the
Church was angered by this theory because they believed the Bible says that
the Earth has 'four corners' and therefore must be flat.
Revelation 7:1 “After these things I saw four angels standing on FOUR
CORNERS OF THE EARTH.”



Write a script for a trial scene in which the two groups debated about this
issue. Your scene should include at least 2 scientists and 2 members from the
Church. You should also think of which side would win the debate.
Pay attention to the arguments each side would use, their attitudes, methods,
and even emotions!
Act out your script to your class!
Role play cards:
The Church
Your goal:
- to defend the Church's supreme
authority
- to attack the scientists' new
methods of finding the truth
The Scientists
Your goal:
- to defend modern science and its value
- to challenge the Church's claim
Your belief:
Only the Church has the divine
authority to interpret the Bible and
decide what the truth is. No one
could argue for a different
understanding of the Bible.
Your belief:
Only through objective observation and
experiments can we find the real truth
Your argument:
Since the Bible mentions “FOUR
CORNERS”, then it should be the
words of God. The Church has the
divine responsibility to protect it and
punish those who are unfaithful.
Your argument:
- We can see the horizon is slightly
curved.
- Magellan's ship has already sailed
around the world in 1519
Conclusion
8
In this topic, the student has been introduced to the idea that it was from the 16th century that
observation and experiment were made the cornerstone of science. This new approach was at
one time opposed by the Church, but by the 17th century, it had clearly won.
Summary chart