The Scientific Revolution
The Philosophical Medieval View
■
Aristotle & Ptolemy from Greece supported
the
Geocentric theory:
Earth was an unmoving object
located at the center of the
universe- the sun and planets
moved around the Earth
■
Religion guided views too: Christianity taught
that God had placed Earth at the center of the
universe.
The Scientific Revolution
And new philosophy calls all in doubt,
The element of fire is quite put out;
The sun is lost, and th’ earth, and no man’s wit
Can well direct him where to look for it
’Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone;
-John Donne,
“Anatomy of the World”
Geocentric Theory
Aristotle
(384BC – 322BC)
■
Greek philosopher
■
Developed geocentric
model.
■
Philosophies had
long-lasting effects on
philosophical theories.
Claudius Ptolemy
(85AD – 165AD)
■
Greek astronomer,
mathematician &
geographer
■
Expanded Aristotle’s
geocentric theory.
■
Introduced trigonometry
methods.
Universe in Bible
Universe in Quran
Before the Scientific
Revolution
■
Science was called “natural
philosophy”
■
Science mixed with moral
philosophy, theology,
numerology, alchemy &
magic
■
Ancient Greek sources highly
trusted
■
Few experiments were
performed
What was the Scientific Revolution?
■
From 1542 to 1700
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Development of new ways to study universe
■
Old authorities no longer blindly accepted
■
Application of mathematics to natural world
■
Creation and spread of new ideas and
discoveries
Causes of the Scientific
Revolution
■
The voyages of discovery
and colonization
■
Ancient & Medieval works
translated into Latin,
then vernacular
languages
■
New inventions &
institutions that
promoted sharing of
knowledge
Heliocentric Model
■
Earth is not center
of the universe
■
Earth is just another
planet
■
Earth revolves
around the Sun
■
Night and day
caused by Earth’s
rotation
Heliocentric Theory
Geocentric vs. Heliocentric Models
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQ8Tb85HrU
Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473-1543)
■
Sun-centered universe –
heliocentric theory
■
Earth is no different than
any other planet
■
On the Revolutions of the
Heavenly Spheres (1543)
■
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/141931239/for-copernicus-a-p
erfect-heaven-put-sun-at-center
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
■
Uses experiments &
observations
■
Planetary movement is
a mathematical formula
■
Planets move around
the Sun in elliptical
orbits NOT circles
■
Confirms Copernicus
ideas
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
■
GALILEO – designs 1st telescope
w/lens & sees movement of stars &
moons (similar to the movement of
the planets)
■
Church believes heavens are fixed,
unmoving & earth is central
they
are furious w/Galileo!
■
Galileo accused of heresy (crimes
against Church)
1633 brought to
trial before Catholic Inquisition & he
recants his statements
Brainpop
Galileo Galilei (1564 — 1642)
■
Gathered observational
data that supported the
Heliocentric Model
■
Wrote Dialogue Concerning
the Two Chief World Systems
(1632)
Why did the Catholic Church
care?
■
Galileo was CATHOLIC!
■
The Protestant Reformation
■
Events had disturbed the faith of many
Christians
■
Movements in the heavens which
contradicted Church doctrine
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
■
Universal law of motion
every object in universe
attracts every other object
■
Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy (1687) Explained gravity (what goes
up must come down)
■
Universe is a giant clock- all
parts work together but God
set clock in motion.
Andreas Vesalius
(1514-1564)
■
First to dissect human
bodies (even though a
disapproved practice)
■
Wrote On the Fabric of
the Human Body (1543)
■
His published
observations included
detailed drawings of
human organs, bones &
muscle.
William Harvey (1578-1657)
■
Published On the
Motion of the Heart
and Blood in Animals
(1628)
■
Showed heart acted
as a pump to circulate
blood throughout
body
Francis Bacon
(1561-1626)
■
English politician & writer
with an interest in science.
■
Criticized ancient
philosophers on how they
arrived at conclusions.
■
Urged scientists to
experiment in order to
arrive at conclusions
■
Developed Scientific Method
The Scientific Method
■
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■
■
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Observation
Research
Hypothesis
Experiment
Analysis
Conclusion
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
■
French scientist &
mathematician.
■
Developed analytical
geometry (links both
algebra & geometry)
■
Developments
provided new tools for
scientific research.