French Absolutism, Enlightenment, &

Revolution!Outcome: The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment

The Scientific Revolution

1. Setting the Stage: The Renaissance & The Reformationa. The Renaissance, a rebirth of learning and the arts, inspired a spirit of curiosity

in many fields.b. Scholars began to question ideas that had been accepted for hundreds of

yearsc. The Reformation prompted religious followers to challenge accepted ways of

thinking about God and salvation.

The Scientific Revolution

2. The Scientific Revolution Early Daysa. In the 1500s, scholars looked to ancient Roman or Greek texts or the

Bible to determine what was true and falseb. Many believed in the geocentric theory: the idea that the sun, moon,

and planets revolve around the earth. Ptolemy said God put the earth at the center.

c. By the mid 1500s, the Scientific Revolution began.d. The Scientific Revolution was a new way of thinking about the natural world.

e. The way was based upon careful observation and willingness to question accepted beliefs.

f. The Renaissance and Age of Exploration helped lead to the Scientific Revolution

Geocentric Theory

The Scientific Revolution

3. Theories and Discoveriesa. Copernicus reasoned that the sun was the center of our solar system and this led

to his heliocentric theoryb. Copernicus did not publish his findings until the year he died, fearful that scholars

and clergy would reject his findings.

c. Galileo Galilei built the first telescope in 1609; discovered Jupiter has 4 moons and that our own moon has a rough surface.

d. Galileo was put on trial with threat of torture from the Pope. He admitted Copernicus’ ideas were false and lived the rest of his life under house arrest.

e. Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo began using the Scientific Method: a logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas.

f. Isaac Newton discovered new laws of motion and gravity.

g. The first microscope, first mercury barometer, a smallpox vaccine, and advances in chemistry were also made during the Scientific Revolution

Copernicus

Galileo

The Enlightenment

4. The Enlightenmenta. Not only did new ways of thinking apply to science, but were also applied to all

aspects of society: government, religion, economics, and education.b. This spurred on the Enlightenment: a new intellectual movement that

stressed reason and thought and the power for individuals to solve problems.

Thomas Hobbes

The Enlightenment

5. Views on Government: Thomas Hobbesa. All humans are naturally selfish and wicked and we need a strong ruler to

govern.b. Hobbes called for a social contract, a government where people agreed to give

total control to a monarch because people acted in their own self interest.

John Locke

The Enlightenment

6. Views on Government: John Lockea. More positive view than Hobbes; people could learn from experiences and

improve themselvesb. All people are born free and equal with three natural rights: life, liberty, and

property.

c. The purpose of government is to protect these rights, if they fail to do so, the citizens have the right to over throw it.

The Enlightenment

7. The Philosophes Advocate Reasona. Social critics in France during the 1700s were known as philosophesb. Five concepts formed their core beliefs: Reason, Nature, Happiness, Progress, Libertyc. Voltaire was the most brilliant and influential of the philosophesd. He used satire against the clergy, aristocracy, and governmente. Even though Voltaire made enemies, he never stopped fighting for tolerance, reason,

freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

f. Montesquieu believed Britain was best-governed and helped influence creation of US government

g. Rousseau was passionately committed to individual freedoms

h. Beccaria was interested in the justice system; laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes.

i. Mary Wollstonecraft argued that women’s education should not be secondary to men’s and that women need to education to become more virtuous and useful.

The Enlightenment

Result: The Enlightenment writers challenged long held beliefs and ideas about society. They challenged the church, state, monarchs, and unequal social classes. These ideas would spread and ultimately help start two of the most influential events of World History: The American and French Revolutions.