SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION -...
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SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Transcript of SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION -...
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
VOCABULARY: SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Revolution – a sweeping change
Geocentric – earth-centered universe
Astronomer – scientist who studies the motion of stars and planets
Heliocentric – sun-centered universe
Excommunication – exiled, or thrown out of the (Catholic) church
Heresy – anti-Church teachings
Scientific Method – a systematic way to find proof using reason: includes a question, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and reaching a conclusion
Rationalism – knowledge is based on reason (thinking)
PRE-REVOLUTIONPrior to the scientific revolution few scholars questioned traditional
thoughts about the physical world; most ideas were based either on the work of ancient Greeks and Romans or on biblical teaching promoted by the Roman Catholic Church.
When Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in hopes of reaching Asia, he took the map of the world that Ptolemy had created.
Columbus never reached Asia because he ran into North America instead. Within a few years, voyages of exploration made it clear that there was an entire continent that Europeans did not know existed
This discovery stunned Europeans. This continent was not on Ptolemy’s map. Observation of the real world had disproved the teachings of an ancient authority.
Soon, European scholars began to question the accuracy of other Greek authorities. More and more, observations made by the Europeans did not agree with what the authorities had described.
Such observations helped lead to the scientific revolution.
OLD SCHOOL IDEAS
During the Middle Ages (until the 1500’s), scientific ideas came from: The writings of ancient Greece and Rome The teachings of the Catholic church
Believed the earth was the center of the universe (geocentric) - Ptolemy
CHANGING IDEAS
Beginning in the 1500’sExplorers are mapping the EarthTranslate the work of Arab scientistsHindu-Arabic number system spread to EuropeAstronomers invented better tools for studying space
NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
Copernicus (Poland)
• Sun centered universe (heliocentric) – planets revolve around the sun, moon revolves around Earth
• Worked in secret because he feared excommunication by the Catholic Church
• Published his ideas in 1543
NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
Kepler – (Germany)• Used math to show that
planets moved in ellipses (oval orbits) not circles
• Planets moved faster when they got close to the sun
• Protestant so he didn’t fear the church
NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
Galileo – (Italy) Built improved telescope, clock, and water thermometerDiscovered: Mountains on the moon Spots on the sun Four moons of Jupiter Evidence of Sun-centered Universe
In 1532, charged with heresy (anti-Church teachings) Lived under house arrest
NEW WAYS OF THINKING
Francis Bacon – (England)
• Thought you should throw out everything that hadn’t been tested
• Came up with the Scientific Method
NEW WAYS OF THINKING
Rene Descartes –(French)• “I think, therefore I am.”• Used math to prove
scientific facts• Founder of modern
rationalism – all knowledge is based on reason.
NEWTON’S UNIVERSE
(1642-1727)
White light is made of different colors (rainbow)
Invented calculus (type of math)
Theory of the Law of Gravity – force of gravity holds the entire solar system together and keeps the planets in their orbits What goes up must come down
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SCIENCE
• The Catholic Church served as the authority for politics and society.
• The viewed the Bible as the sole source of information.
• The Catholic Church viewed the new scientific research as a threat to their power.
• The challenges to authority through science and reasoning encouraged a group of philosophers to question and challenge government authority. This is known as the Enlightenment, and leads to numerous revolutions that end absolute monarchies.
The second issue was related to the first because when individuals contradicted the Church’s teachings, it weakened the power and control of the Church. Church officials were afraid that questioning even one Church teaching might lead to more and more questions about the Church.
People might even start to doubt key elements of the faith. Church officials feared this would undermine the Church’s influence
For example, when Galileo used his telescope to study the moon, stars, and planets and was able to draw conclusions from his observations.
His observations were in direct conflict with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
In response, the Church tried Galileo as a heretic (one who goes against the teachings of a church or religious body) at an inquisition.
Though he was not excommunicated, or dismissed from the Church, he was found guilty and ordered to refute his claims.
As a result of his convictions, he spent the rest of his life under house arrest but this did not keep his ideas from spreading.
