Rationalism

• The belief that one can arrive The belief that one can arrive at the truth by using one’s at the truth by using one’s reason rather than relying on reason rather than relying on – authority of the pastauthority of the past– religious faithreligious faith– institutionsinstitutions

Rationalism began in Europe

with the great rationalist with the great rationalist philosophers and scientists. Some of philosophers and scientists. Some of whom were:whom were:

• 1543--Nicolas Copernicus:1543--Nicolas Copernicus:Rethinks our place in the solar Rethinks our place in the solar systemsystem

• 1642-1727--Sir Isaac Newton:1642-1727--Sir Isaac Newton:Discovers the laws of gravityDiscovers the laws of gravity

• 1637--Rene Descartes:1637--Rene Descartes:“I think therefore I am.” “I think therefore I am.”

• 1632-17041632-1704 – John Locke: – John Locke: “the right to Life, Liberty and “the right to Life, Liberty and Property”Property”

•During the Middle Ages, people and the Church thought that the

Earth was the center of the universe

•They thought that God purposely placed the Earth at

the center of the universe•Nicolaus Copernicus changed this

old view of the universe•He figured out that the Sun is the

center of the universe (heliocentric), and that the earth and all other planets

revolve around the sun

If Copernicus is right –The Church must be

wrong

Hello, I am Copernicus. Why was my new idea a problem?

• If the Church is proven wrong on this issue – people might question all Church Teaching – even the authority of the Church itself!

•(It was panic thinking)

My name is Galileo Galilei. I was fascinated by the

planets, just like Copernicus. I

developed a telescope, and saw that Copernicus was

right!

It is the year 1633 and the Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei faces a life or death dilemma!

The Catholic court put him on trial because the idea that the earth revolves around the sun was dangerous to the Catholic

Church!

•He had to either deny his ideas, or be put to death! If he denied the ideas of Copernicus, the church would punish him, but not put him to death.•What do you think Galileo did? What

would you do?

•Galileo said that he denies what Copernicus taught. In court, he

stated:“With sincere heart, I detest the errors of Copernicus and every other error contrary to the holy

church”.*** Was Galileo lying or telling the truth?

•Galileo was not put to death, but he was never a free man again.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II officially acknowledged that Galileo was right

about the earth revolving around the sun. The Pope concluded that church leaders were wrong to put

Galileo on trial. The Pope also said that the church at the time was

acting in good faith and was only working within the knowledge of

their own time.

It’s interesting that …

The Age of Reason emphasised:

• reason over the imaginationreason over the imagination• the social over the personalthe social over the personal• the common interest over the the common interest over the

individualindividual• Reason is the dominating Reason is the dominating

characteristiccharacteristic both of nature both of nature and human natureand human nature

• nature is governed by fixed, nature is governed by fixed, unchanging lawsunchanging laws

Age of Reason• Growth of rational scienceGrowth of rational science• Culture venerates rationality, Culture venerates rationality,

consciousnessconsciousness• Represents educated (white, male) Represents educated (white, male)

mind asmind as– rational, scientific, critical, rational, scientific, critical,

objectiveobjective• Others (women, non-white) Others (women, non-white)

represented asrepresented as– irrational, emotional, irrational, emotional,

superstitious, corporealsuperstitious, corporeal• Dualism is a basis of much Western Dualism is a basis of much Western

thoughtthought

Impact of the Age of Reasonon the Church

• It was the first widely-read, It was the first widely-read, systematic attacks on concept systematic attacks on concept of religion in the westof religion in the west

• Tension between faith & Tension between faith & reasonreason

• Some ridiculed religion & Some ridiculed religion & miraclesmiracles

• Some saw religion as the root Some saw religion as the root of all evilof all evil

Religion and the Rational Mind

• DEISMDEISM

“God makes it possible for all “God makes it possible for all people at all times to discover people at all times to discover natural laws through the God-natural laws through the God-given faculty of reason.”given faculty of reason.”

Benjamin Benjamin FranklinFranklin

The deists

• The largest movement among The largest movement among philosophesphilosophes

• Believed only those Christian Believed only those Christian doctrines which met the test of doctrines which met the test of reasonreason– Denied miracles, Denied miracles,

Resurrection, original sin, Resurrection, original sin, divine revelation (Bible)divine revelation (Bible)

The deists & God

• God as “great clockmaker”God as “great clockmaker”– Non-participatory after the Non-participatory after the

CreationCreation– So no purpose to prayer!So no purpose to prayer!

• Christ as a great moral teacherChrist as a great moral teacher– But not the Son of God!But not the Son of God!

Influence on Social thought

• The guiding principles:The guiding principles:– Reason can find eternal laws Reason can find eternal laws

governing human governing human relationships.relationships.

– Injustice is the result of our Injustice is the result of our ignorance of these laws.ignorance of these laws.

• UtilitarianismUtilitarianism– Jeremy Bentham (d. 1832)Jeremy Bentham (d. 1832)

““The greatest good for the The greatest good for the greatest number of people”greatest number of people”

Rene DescartesRene Descartes““Stay-in-Bed Scholar”Stay-in-Bed Scholar”

““Gentleman, Soldier, and Gentleman, Soldier, and Mathematician” Mathematician”

Born on March 31, 1596Born on March 31, 1596

Died on February 11, 1650Died on February 11, 1650

Childhood

• As a child was very weak and was As a child was very weak and was always sick. always sick.

• He had been picked on by bullies He had been picked on by bullies for it.for it.

• He was inspired to do math by his He was inspired to do math by his mother.mother.

• Little did he know he would be Little did he know he would be affected by not doing math as a affected by not doing math as a child.child.

Accomplishments

• He graduated from the He graduated from the University of Poitiers.University of Poitiers.

• He changed math by He changed math by discovering the X and Y axis.discovering the X and Y axis.

• He wrote the book He wrote the book SEEKING SEEKING THE TRUTH IN THE SCIENCES.THE TRUTH IN THE SCIENCES. (1637)(1637)

• Descartes did not revise Descartes did not revise geometry; he created it.geometry; he created it.

•Descartes was a scientist, mathematician and philosopher

•He used a lot of logic in his findings

•He came up with a quote:

•He doubted everything in life, unless it was proven by reason

•The only thing he was sure of and that he felt he could prove, was his existence.

I think, therefore,

I am

Rene Descartes (Cartesian Dualism)

• “I think therefore I am”– Body and mind are separate

• body takes up space• mind occupies no space

– Justifies other dualisms:• People vs. Nature• Culture vs. Nature• Mind vs. Body

Descartes

• Venerates the rational mind– vs. bodily urges

• Body and universe– become a machine– something to be

mapped, explored, dissected by rational science

Newton was another important scientist from the scientific

revolution.

This law said that all motion was

controlled by the same force.

I discovered the lawof gravity!

Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton

• 1642 to 1727;• Lived during the last European

plagues, the Baroque period in music, and the beginning of the Age of Reason.

• Thinkers who came after saw Newton’s Laws as a description of a Mechanical Universe.

Newton’s First Law of Motion:

• An object in motion in a An object in motion in a straight line at a constant straight line at a constant speed (or at rest) stays in speed (or at rest) stays in motion in a straight line and motion in a straight line and constant speed unless acted constant speed unless acted upon by an external force.upon by an external force.

• Radical departure from Radical departure from previous ideas of Aristotle who previous ideas of Aristotle who believed objects moved believed objects moved because of their own natural because of their own natural tendenciestendencies

Newton’s Third Law

• The Karma of PhysicsThe Karma of Physics• For every action there is an For every action there is an

equal and opposite reaction.equal and opposite reaction.• The action/reaction pairs occur The action/reaction pairs occur

at a single point. (you feel at a single point. (you feel something you push on with a something you push on with a force equal to your pushing.)force equal to your pushing.)

Isaac Newton•The great mathematician and The great mathematician and

physicist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-physicist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) discovered the law of 1727) discovered the law of gravitation and successfully explained gravitation and successfully explained the workings of the physical universe.the workings of the physical universe.

•But to the romantic artist William But to the romantic artist William Blake this was not enough:Blake this was not enough:

•Newton had left out Newton had left out God as well as theGod as well as theemotional andemotional andspiritual elementsspiritual elementsfrom his theories.from his theories.

William Blake:

Personification of Man Limited by Reason 1805

The popularisation of science

• Newton’s Principia Newton’s Principia hard to understandhard to understand

• To understand To understand scientific thought scientific thought processes is to processes is to understand reasonunderstand reason

• Popularisers made Popularisers made science accessiblescience accessible

John LockeJohn Locke

(1632-1704)

Biography

• B. 1632, son of a small property-owner and lawyer

• Oxford, 1652-67• Studied church-state issues, chemistry

and medicine, new mechanical philosophy

• Involvement in politics through Lord Ashley, whom he treated for a liver abscess

• Plotted to assassinate King Charles II and his Catholic brother, later James II

• Exile in Holland, 1683-89• 1689: 3 major works published

Major works and themes:

A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689)- Argues for religious toleration; - Except for atheists, “who deny the Being of a

God” and thus cannot be trusted to keep their promises (e.g. in contracts).

Context:

- Religious wars and persecution in England (‘Test’ Acts) and on the Continent.

Innate Ideas

• Philosophers such as Plato & Descartes, maintained that we are born with some of the ideas which we have.

• For Plato, all of our ideas are innate, even though a certain amount of experience may be required to grasp them clearly.

• According to this theory we have innate ideas of such things as God, freedom, immortality, substance, and of some moral truths, eg. that deliberately harming an innocent person is wrong.

• Locke seriously disagreed with this.

Locke’s Basic “Theory of Knowledge”

• Human being = tabula rasa (blank slate)• receives sense-impressions• some of these transformed by Mind into

Ideas • Ideas represented in language by words• However, no Ideas are innate• Mind operates (through gradual learning

process) without reference to any received authority (of Church, State or others)

Locke’s Ideas

• Model of photographic-type images (“ideas”) left in the mind by sense-impressions:

• primary qualities: inherent in objects themselves (size, shape, number)

• secondary qualities: those we assign (color, taste, sound) to sense-impressions, e.g. vibration produces sound; however, the sound we hear is not the vibration itself, but its effect on our hearing apparatus.

Complex Ideas

• Sense-data of primary qualities (PQs) and secondary qualities (SQs), produce ideas in the mind:

• Ideas are mental results of sense-data – Sense-perceptions– Bodily sensations– Mental images– Thoughts and concepts

Some basic info about Some basic info about Charles DarwinCharles Darwin

Some basic info about Some basic info about Charles DarwinCharles Darwin

The following, on Darwin, is gleaned from a presentation by

David PannellUniversity of Western Australia

LifelineLifelineLifelineLifeline Born 1809 Study (Edinburgh and Cambridge)

1825-1831 Voyage of the Beagle 1831-36 Retired to Down 1842 The Origin of Species

1859 Died 1882 Darwin’s home at Down, near London

Darwin’s achievementsDarwin’s achievementsDarwin’s achievementsDarwin’s achievements Transformed biological science

Both style and content Still the cornerstone of biology Now the cutting edge of psychology

Transformed attitudes of humanity to our place in the universe

Not just an evolutionistNot just an evolutionistNot just an evolutionistNot just an evolutionist Not even a biologist to start with Collected beetles for fun Studied geology more seriously Considered himself a geologist

throughout the Beagle voyage and for some time after

Famous for working out how coral atolls are formed

His books His books (not just on evolution)(not just on evolution)His books His books (not just on evolution)(not just on evolution)

Beagle voyage Coral reefs Volcanic islands Geology of South

America Barnacles Species Man

Emotions Climbing plants Domestication Cross and self

fertilisation Orchids Worms Autobiography

Contribution to style of scienceContribution to style of scienceContribution to style of scienceContribution to style of science Pre-Darwin, science was done in

homage to God Was primarily descriptive Deduction and theorising was

disparaged as “speculation” Darwin used detailed observation to

explore much larger questions - helped change scientific methods

Natural selectionNatural selectionNatural selectionNatural selection Developed theory in complete isolation In face of violent opposition With no knowledge of genetics With no knowledge of DNA With no observations of natural

selection actually occurring

Not first to propose evolutionNot first to propose evolutionNot first to propose evolutionNot first to propose evolution French tradition

Jean-Baptiste Lamark Etienne Geoffroy St Hilaire

Erasmus Darwin (Grandfather) Robert Grant (Mentor) Was expounded in a popular book

(“Vestiges”) 15 years before “Origin”

Darwin was mis-creditedDarwin was mis-creditedDarwin was mis-creditedDarwin was mis-credited Died famous for evolution (which was

not his idea) Natural selection not widely accepted,

even among his supporters Darwin remained convinced Only 40-50 years later did scientists

appreciate his foresight.

The Beagle Only 90 foot long, but carrying 74 people.

Joining the Beagle VoyageJoining the Beagle VoyageJoining the Beagle VoyageJoining the Beagle Voyage Not paid for 5 years on Beagle. Actually, he had to pay! Was lucky to get on

replaced someone who was shot in a duel

his father opposed him going

Mainly asked because of his class, to keep Captain Fitzroy company

It was the making of him

Galapogos, 1835Galapogos, 1835Galapogos, 1835Galapogos, 1835 Portrayed as a “Eureka” experience. Actually, was hugely homesick Did not recognise significance until back

in England, 1837. Worked out theory much later. First inkling of natural selection in 1838.

Turtles & finches were key evidence On boat home, ate turtles, dumped shells Thought finches different species; didn’t even

label them properly

The Beagle in Sydney HarbourThe Beagle in Sydney HarbourThe Beagle in Sydney HarbourThe Beagle in Sydney Harbour

AnguishAnguishAnguishAnguish Social class

Respectability Evolution subversive - against his class

Religious considerations especially worried about hurting wife

Emma who grieved for his soul

Scientific prejudice against “speculation”

“Like confessing a murder.”

IllnessIllnessIllnessIllness Sea sickness Problems throughout life

violent shivering, vomiting, exhaustion, palpitations, hands trembling, head swimming, sleeplessness, headaches, flatulance, stomach problems, ringing of ears, fainting, copious palid urine

In 1841 could work “an hour or two a couple of days a week.”

Chaga’s disease or just nervous?

Slow to publish: Why so long?Slow to publish: Why so long?Slow to publish: Why so long?Slow to publish: Why so long? Anguish Illness Slow development of ideas Detailed analysis, collection of a

wealth of evidence pigeons barnacles

BarnaclesBarnaclesBarnaclesBarnacles Started out as a brief study.

Took 8 years (from 1948). Huge 2 volume treatise overhauling entire

sub-class.

Dominated his kids lives One of his kids asked a friend, “Where does

your dad do his barnacles?”

Established him as a biological specialist, not just a geologist

Royal Society Medal

CourageCourageCourageCourage On Beagle voyage, rode hundreds of

miles through bandit areas and war zones in South America

Worked through his illnesses. Was willing to publish “Origins”

despite the risks

WealthWealthWealthWealth Father a wealthy doctor Reduced his enthusiasm to get a job as

a doctor or clergyman Wealth bought time and resources Made money from investments (land

and railway stocks), not from books

ReligionReligionReligionReligion Started out on path to clergy

“The Darwins had produced lawyers and military men, but Charles lacked the self-discipline. There was, however, a safety net to stop second sons becoming wastrels: the Church of England. An aimless son with a penchant for field sports would fit in nicely.” (Desmond & Moore)

Signed 39 articles of faith A naturalist parson?

Religion did accommodate Darwin to some extent Many religious leaders not literalist Science served religion, so its findings

were taken as revelations of God’s plan

Buried in Westminster Abbey The Times: “The Abbey needed Darwin

more than Darwin needed the Abbey.”

Religious conflictReligious conflictReligious conflictReligious conflict Samuel Wilberforce vs T.H.Huxley

“Was it from your mother’s side or your father’s side that you were descended from an ape?”

“If the question is whether I would rather have a miserable ape for a grandfather or a man of means and influence who uses these gifts to introduce ridicule into a grave scientific discussion, I unhesitatingly affirm my preference for the ape!”

“For once reality and his brain came into contact, and the result was fatal.”

Years later Wilberforce fell off his horse, landed on his head and was killed.