The Scientific Revolution
World cultures II
What was the scientific revolution?
• In the mid 1500s, scientists started to
question accepted beliefs and develop
new theories on experimentation and
observation
• A revolution in human understanding
and knowledge about the physical
universe
• The origins of modern science
Scientific thought before the 1500s
• Based off the ideas of Aristotle &
Ptolemy
• Scientific ideas were mixed with
Christian doctrines
• Also based on alchemy and astrology
• The earth is geocentric - the center
of the universe
• A crystal-like sphere kept the
planets, moon, and stars in orbit
around the Earth.
Factors leading to the revolution
• The Renaissance
• Rise of universities
• Exploration
• Contact with non-western
societies
• Printing Press
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
• Polish Mathematician & Astronomer
– also a cleric
• Goal was to glorify God
• Heliocentric universe (sun-centered)
• On the Revolutions of the Heavenly
Spheres
• Controversial for the times
Tycho brahe (1546-1601)
• Danish nobleman
• Most cutting-edge observatory of his
day
• Revolutionized astronomical
instrumentation
• Discovered comet shooting right
through crystalline (transparent)
spheres
• Assistant was Johann Kepler
Johann kepler (1571-1630)
• German astronomer and
mathematician
• The length of time to complete
an orbit is related to the planet's
distance from the sun
• Elliptical orbits – planets do not
move in a perfect circle
• Planets do not move at a
uniform speed in their orbits
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
• Italian physicist, mathematician,
astronomer, and philosopher
• Father of modern observational
astronomy & modern science
• First to use a telescope to study
the moon and planets
• Promoted the Copernican theory of
a heliocentric universe
• Tried at the Inquisition for heresy
• Forced to recant his findings
Francis bacon (1561-1626)
• Father of Scientific Revolution
• Believed that new knowledge had to be
obtained through empirical, experimental
research
• The Inductive Method
• Placed importance on practical, constructive
knowledge
• Inductive reasoning – a conclusion is
reached based on a pattern present in
numerous observations.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
• French philosopher and
mathematician
• Father of analytical geometry
• Significance of Doubt – only things
that can be proven by reason are real
• Deductive Reasoning - take a group of
facts and combine them to come to a
conclusion
• Spatial relationships can be expressed
in mathematical formulas
• Shifted the authoritative proof from
God to man
Scientific method
• Step-by-step process used to
prove findings and to prove or
disprove theories
• Rediscovery of Plato’s teachings
Sir Isaac newton (1642-1727)
• English physicist and mathematician
• Integrated the astronomy of
Copernicus and Kepler with the
physics of Galileo
• All physical objects are affected
equally by some force
• Great discovery - same force ruled
motion of the planets and all matter
on earth and space
• The Law of Universal Gravitation every object in the universe attracts
every other object
• The Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy
Other science and mathematics
Anatomy and physiology
• Challenged the teachings of the ancient physician and
anatomist Galen
• His conclusions had gone unquestioned for centuries
• Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
• The Structure of the Human Body – first anatomy textbook
based on dissection
• William Harvey (1578-1657)
• First to show the function of the heart and circulation of
blood
• On the Movement of the Heart and Blood to Animals
chemistry
• Robert Boyle
• Father of Modern Chemistry
• Boyles Law – volume of a gas under
compression will increase or decrease
as the amount of pressure increases or
decreases
biology
• Carolus Linnacus (1707-1778)
• Systema Naturae
• System for classifying plants and
animals by genus and species
logarithms
• John Napier
• Published a table of
logarithms
• Provided a simplified method
for multiplying and dividing
large numbers and for finding
square roots
Effects on society
• Contradicted the views in Roman and Greek books
• Rise of the “Scientific Community”
• --Royal Society of London (1662)
• --Academy of Royal Sciences (1666)
• The modern scientific method
• Experimentation method/Empiricism
• A universe ordered according to natural laws
• Mechanical view of the universe – it was de-mystified
Effects on religion
• Conflicts with religious beliefs –
• Science was previously interpreted by Christian theologians
• After, science was a branch of philosophy and not theology
• Laws discovered by human reason
• Deistic View of God - belief that reason and observation of the
natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a
God
• Church did not like the idea that science was beginning to take
over the way people think and believe
Inventions of the revolution
Scientific instruments
• Microscope - used to view objects
that are microscopic
• Telescope - enlarges far-off objects
• Barometer - measures
atmospheric pressure and
predicting weather
• Thermometer - measured in
Fahrenheit and Celsius tells the
temperature
Medicine and the human body
• Stethoscope –
• Oxygen
• Quinine from Peruvian Bark malaria