Revolution &
Enlightenment
World History chapter 10
Key Developments
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Ideas & inventions of the scientific rev. &
enlightenment paved the way for a modern
worldview based on rationalism & secularism
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Rationalism: belief that human reason is the chief source
of knowledge
Secularism: rejection of Religion as the only source of
knowledge about the universe
British colonies in North American rebelled and
formed the United States, a nation founded on
Enlightenment ideas
Impact on Your Lives
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Have you learned the scientific method? It was
developed during the Sci. Revolution!
Enlightenment philosophers championed the
natural rights of humans, setting the stage for the
rise of Democracy
Other ideas from the Enlightenment strongly
influenced the Founding Fathers and serve as the
backbone of the American system of government
Section1: The
Scientific
Revolution
Main Idea: The scientific revolution
gave Europeans a new way to view
the human races’ place in the
universe.
Revolution in Astronomy
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Ptolemaic System
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Ptolemy was an ancient
Greek/Egyptian
astronomer who lived in
the 2nd century CE
Geocentric model of the
universe
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Geo = Earth
Centric = center
Ptolemaic System
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Planet Earth is at the
center of the universe
and does not move
Universe is a series of
concentric spheres
Developed during the
Middle Ages (11001500 CE)
Nicholas Copernicus
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Polish mathematician
Published On the
Revolution of Heavenly
Spheres in 1543
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Argued Ptolemaic system
was too complex
Proposed a heliocentric
model of the universe
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Helio = sun
Argued the perceived
movement of the sun was
really the Earth rotating on
its axis and moving on its
orbit around the sun
Johannes Kepler
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German mathematician
Expanded upon Copernicus’ research & developed laws of
planetary motion
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The sun IS the center of the universe
The orbits of planets around the sun were an ellipse (egg)
Galileo Galilei
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Italian astronomer & mathematician
1st European to make regular observations
with a telescope
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Mountains on the moon
Four moons revolving around Jupiter
Sunspots
Heavenly bodies were made of substances
similar to those found on Earth, not light!
Galileo & the Catholic Church
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Ordered to abandon
the Copernican model
Contradicted the
teachings of the
Church & the Bible
Galileo was put on trial
and found guilty of
heresy & disobedience
Sir Isaac Newton
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English mathematician
Three Laws of Planetary Motion
Universal Law of Gravitation
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Every object in the universe is attracted to every other
object by a force called gravity
Saw the universe as a huge machine operating
according to natural laws
This idea dominated the modern worldview until
the mid 20th century
Chemistry & Medicine
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During the Middle
Ages experts still
relied on the work of
2nd century Greek
Galen
He used animal
dissection to develop
his ideas of human
anatomy – and they
were often wrong!
Andreas Vesalius
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Published On the Fabric of the Human
Body in 1543
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His discoveries made by dissecting human
cadavers
Detailed observations of organs and structure of
the human body
Overturned many of Galen’s theories, but
still believed different types of blood flowed
through veins & arteries
William Harvey
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On the Motion of the
Heart and Blood (1628)
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Heart was the beginning
point for circulation of
blood in the body
The same blood flows
through veins & arteries
Blood makes a complete
circuit through the body
before returning to the
heart
Beginnings of Chemistry
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Robert Boyle
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Pioneer in controlled experiments
Studied the properties of gasses: Boyle’s Law
Antoine Lavoisier
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Developed a system of naming elements
Regarded as the father of modern chemistry
Margaret Cavendish
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One of the most
prominent female
scientists of the 1600s
Critical of the belief
that humans were
masters of nature
through scientific
knowledge
Women & Science in Germany
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Between 1650-1710 nearly 15% of all German
astronomers were female
Trained by their husbands and fathers at family
observatories
Maria Winkleman: most famous German female
astronomer
Despite her academic credentials she was denied
a teaching position at the Berlin Academy b/c they
feared hiring a woman would set a bad example
Rene Descartes & Reason
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17th century French
philosopher
Considered the father of
rationalism
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Rationalism: belief that
reason is the main source
of human knowledge; Our
ability to think and reason
through problems allows
the human race to acquire
knowledge
Descartes Famous Principles
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Separation of mind and matter
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Matter is dead, & could be studied using reason
Matter was separate from humans
The one fact that is true beyond any doubt:
our own existence!
Emphasized the power of human thought
“I THINK, THEREFORE I AM!”
The Scientific Method
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Developed by Englishman
Francis Bacon (mmmm…bacon!)
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Systematic procedure
for collecting and
analyzing evidence
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Do NOT rely on the ideas
of ancients
Carefully organized
experiments would lead
to the development of
correct principles
Section 2: The
Enlightenment
Main Idea: 18th Century philosophers used
the ideas of the Scientific Revolution to
reexamine all aspect of life…especially the
role of government and the rights of human
beings
What is the Enlightenment??
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An 18th century philosophical (ideas!)
movement based on the use of:
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Reason
Discoveries of the Scientific Revolution
Scientific Method
In order to reexamine all aspects of life and
society in order to create a better world!
Isaac Newton’s Influence
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Newton’s Laws (gravity, motion) showed
that the physical world is like a giant
machine operating under fixed laws
Intellectuals (deep thinkers!) of the
Enlightenment sought the laws that govern
human society
John Locke’s Influence
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Tabula Rasa (blank
mind)
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People become who
they are through
experience
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Through our senses
Through our thoughts
Through our emotions
John Locke’s Influence
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If people were exposed to the right
experiences then they could be changed,
creating a new & better society
Led to the belief that people could discover
the natural laws that all should follow in
order to produce the ideal society
What is a philosophe??
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Nickname for the intellectuals of the
Enlightenment (French term for philosopher)
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Came mostly from the nobility & middle class
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Writers
Professors
Journalists
Economists
Social reformers
An International Movement
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Englishmen provided the philosophical
inspiration for the Enlightenment, but…
French philosophes influenced intellectuals
across Europe and truly created a
movement that changed the Western World
Movement evolved over the span of a century
Rational criticism should be applied to all areas
of life, including religion & politics
Baron de Montesquieu
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Used the scientific
method to find the
natural laws
governing society &
politics
Published his study,
The Spirit of the
Laws, in 1748
Montesquieu’s Influence
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The most effective govt’s function b/c of a
separation of powers
A system of checks & balances prevents any
one person or branch from gaining too much
power
Montesquieu’s Influence
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3 branches of Gov’t:
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Executive (enforce laws)
Legislative (make laws)
Judicial (interpret laws)
In the United States:
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Executive = President
Legislative = Congress
Judicial = Supreme Court
Voltaire: Greatest of the Enlightenment
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Wrote endlessly!
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Novels
Plays
Letters
Essays
Best known for:
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Criticism of Christianity
Belief in religious toleration
Voltaire & Religion
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Treatise on Toleration, 1763
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Main Point: “all men are brothers under God.”
Champion of religions philosophy Deism:
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Based on reason & natural law
Viewed the universe as a clock:
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God created it
Set it in motion
Allows it to run according to natural laws WITHOUT His
influence
Denis Diderot
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Most lasting contribution
to the Enlightenment was
editing the 28 volume
Encyclopedia
His goal with this
collection of knowledge
was to, “change the
general way of thinking.”
Diderot’s Lasting Influence
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Encyclopedia was sold to doctors, lawyers,
clergymen, teachers, & other members of
the nobility & middle class
This allowed the ideas of the Enlightenment
to spread all over Europe
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Religious toleration
Changes in the structure of the legal & political
systems, as well as society as a whole
The Foundation of Modern Economics
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Physiocrats: a French group dedicated to discovering
the natural economic laws governing society
If people were free to go after their own economic self
interest, all of society would benefit
The State, then, should not impose any regulations on
the economy. The gov’t should leave the economy
alone!
This is known by the French terms laissez-faire
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Meaning: to “let the people do what they want”
“Hands-off” economics
Adam Smith: America’s Economic Inspiration
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Wrote the best interpretation
of laissez-faire economics with
Wealth of Nations , 1776
He assigned only 3 roles to
the government:
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Protect citizens from invasion –
Maintain an army
Protect citizens from injustice –
Maintain the police
Keep up w/ public works &
infrastructure projects too
expensive for private individuals
 Roads, bridges, canals,
dams, etc.
Cesare Beccaria & Justice
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Old Justice: cruel
punishments intended to
deter future crime
Beccaria’s Justice:
should not excessive in
its brutality
Opposed to capital
punishment
(death sentence)
Jean Jacques Rousseau
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The Social Contract, 1762
Through a SOCIAL
CONTRACT, and entire
society agrees to be governed
by the GENERAL WILL
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The “general will” represents what
is best for the entire society
What are some examples of laws
that govern our lives that protect
the safety of all members of our
community?
Women’s Rights: Mary Wollstonecraft
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Old Argument: women’s
natural ways made them
inferior to men, therefore
it was necessary for
males to dominate
females
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Mary’s Argument: A
Vindication of the
Rights of Women,
1792
Mary’s Two Main Points
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#1: The arbitrary
power of men over
women is as wrong
as the arbitrary power
of monarchs over
their subjects!
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#2: Enlightenment is
based on the ideal
that all humans have
the power to reason.
Because women are
able to reason they
should have the
same rights as men!
The Growth of Reading
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Both the amount of items being published &
the number of readers grew rapidly during
the 18th century
Many new books were directed at the new
reading middle class
Daily newspapers also appeared for the
first time in London in 1702
The Salon
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Elegant drawing rooms of the wealthy elite
where guests gathered to discuss the new
ideas & works of the philosophes
Brought many different classes & groups of
people together
Key piece in the spread of Enlightenment
ideas
The Salon