ENLIGHTENMENT & REVOLUTION GREAT THINKERS RESEARCH PROJECT
The period 1600-1800 in Western Europe was one of relative prosperity and stability.
Europeans were looking at the world in a new way, partially because the Exploratory discoveries
of the new world made people re-think the way they looked at the world. It also was due to the
culture of humanism, secularism, and individualism in the Renaissance that people felt
comfortable questioning the status quo, and believing that things might be good, but they could
be better. It was an era where literacy and education had spread to the masses to the point that
common men (few women at that point were allowed formal education) began to write treatises
on culture (science, technology, politics, economics, etc.).
For this project, you will research the accomplishments of one of the great thinkers of this
age, the Age of Enlightenment. You will report on:
1) The formal (often written) accomplishments of the person, where/when they lived.
2) What set them apart from other people in their field/what was so special/unique about
their ideas?
3) How their ideas were received by others at the time, and the impact that they had on
culture at the time. This may be harder to find. Keep looking.
4) The impact that they’ve had on culture since their writing (how are they viewed today if
it is different than how they were viewed in their time).
5) What in their life motivated or inspired them to seek out these subjects to write on.
LIST OF CHARACTERS TO RESEARCH
1. Aristotle (2+)– which sciences (plural) did Aristotle pioneer the study of? What contributions did
he make in those areas? What were his views on Physics? Biology? Atomic theory? Government?
2. Galen – what contributions did Galen make to the world of Medicine?
3. Ptolemy – what contributions did Ptolemy make to the study of Astronomy?
4. Euclid 5. Sir Isaac Newton (2) – what Society was Newton part of? Contributions in Physics, Optics, Math
6. John Locke - Political Philosophy (social contract)
7. Jean Jacques Rousseau - Political Philosophy
8. Baron de Montesquieu – Political Philosophy
9. Thomas Paine - Political Philosophy
THIS IS A 1-2 PAGE
10. Thomas Jefferson – Political philosophy
PAPER
11. Voltaire – Political Philosophy
12. Cesare Beccaria – Justice/treatment of prisoners
DUE ON FRIDAY,
13. Mary Wollstonecraft – Justice/treatment of women
10/12
14. Sir Francis Bacon – Scientific method, founded what Society?
15. Rene Descartes - Mathematics
MUST INCLUDE
16. Gottfried Liebniz - Mathematics
CITATIONS AND A
17. Johannes Kepler – Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics
BIBLIOGRAPHY
18. Robert Boyle – Physics/Chemistry
19. Robert Hooke 20. Nicolas Copernicus – Astronomy, Mathematics
21. Galileo Galilei – Astronomy, Physics
22. Leonardo da Vinci – Biology, Physics (Ballistics)
23. Anton von Leeuwenhoek – Biology/Scientific Technology
24. Joseph Priestley – Chemistry/Physics
25. Andreas Vesalius – Anatomy/medicine
26. Anders Celsius – Pressure & temperature
27. William Harvey –Anatomy/Medicine
RUBRIC FOR PAPER
SCORE
5
4
3
2
1
CONTENT (80%)
All 5 Content standards are met
completely
4 of 5 standards are met completely
3 of 5 standards are met completely
2 of 5 standards are met completely
1 of 5 standards are met completely
PAPER QUALITY (20%)
-
paper organization in to proper paragraphs
content standards are well organized and clear
Spelling, grammar do not interfere with readability
Student name, date, period, and paper subject are
stated clearly atop the front page or title page.
EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION?
People always seem to remember the “big moments” in life, and the person who most contributed
during that moment as a “great person” or a single “great act”. Maybe if we stopped to think about how
we built up to those big moments we’d be able to have more (or less) of them . . . or at least appreciate
more people in our lives.
For this project, you and your group are to examine the evolution of thought. Each of you has
researched one great thinker. Now, you will look at them as groups of thinkers who influenced each
other. You must make strong connections between them to see how the thoughts of one influenced the
ideas of another. We recall Sir Isaac Newton’s quote “If I have looked farther, it is because I have stood
on the shoulders of giants.”
GROUP 1
GROUP 2
Aristotle
Sir Francis Bacon
Sir Isaac Newton
Robert Boyle
Robert Hooke
Joseph Priestley
Anders Celsius
GROUP 4
Galen
Leonardo da Vinci
Andreas Vesalius
William Harvey
Anton von Leeuwenhoek
GROUP 3
Aristotle (e)
Euclid
Rene Descartes
Gottfried Leibniz
Sir Isaac Newton
Aristotle
Ptolemy
Nicolas Copernicus
Johannes Kepler
Galileo Galilei
GROUP 5
Aristotle
John Locke
Sir Isaac Newton
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Voltaire
Thomas Paine
GROUP 6
Cesare Beccaria
Mary Wollstonecraft
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Baron de Montesquieu
Thomas Jefferson
You and your group must submit a poster board with the following:
1) Establish the proper connections between each of the people studied. Each person will not
connect to all others directly, though each will connect to at least 1 other directly. The
connection may not be spelled out for you in your research – you may need to figure it out based
on their individual contributions and the time period/geographical location of their discoveries
(For example, if 1 person wrote an influential book in 300 B.C. in Greece, chances are he
influenced people in that field that studied afterwards).
2) A creative AND logical way to visually demonstrate whose ideas influenced whom. The
connections must be explicitly clear and easy to follow (nobody need be present at the poster to
explain what you’ve diagrammed).
3) Approximately 1 short paragraph of information about each of the people, explaining who
contributed to their ideas, what their ideas were, and the impact their ideas had.
4) A clear picture of each person.
THE FOLLOWING IS A SCORING RUBRIC FOR THIS PROJECT
SCORE
CONTENT
PRESENTATION QUALITY
5
Information on all people was complete, all
connections were clear and easy to understand
Information or connections lacking in detail on
1 or 2 of the philosophers
1 person completely lacking or many
philosophers info/connections lacking in detail
Significant information missing on both
philosophers and connections
It looks like you tried to do it all last night
The layout of the presentation showed effort, was visually
pleasing, and aided students in understanding the content.
Layout shows effort but lacks creativity OR does not
significantly aid understanding (but does not interfere with it)
Effort clearly lacking OR layout is difficult to follow, hindering
student learning
Effort lacking and layout lacks creativity as well as being
difficult to follow.
It looks like you tried to do it all last night
4
3
2
1