WHB- Exam Review

PRE- Scientific Revolution

Before 1500, scholars decided what was true or false based on ancient Greek or Roman authors (Aristotle) or what the Bible said.

Very few European scholars questioned scientific ideas and instead accepted what had always been taught.

Medieval View

Earth was an unmoving object located at the center of the universe

Moon, sun, planets moved in perfect circles around earth.

Earth-centered view is called GEOCENTRISM and promoted by Aristotle and Ptolemy

Geocentric Model

Why Geocentric Theory?

Seemed to make sense based on what people observed.

Idea came from most intellectual men in history up to that time

Catholic Church supported it

Scientific Revolution

Mid-1500’s some scholars began challenging ideas of ancient thinkers.

The Scientific Revolution was a new way of thinking about the world based on careful observation and a willingness to question accepted beliefs.

First major challenge to accepted beliefs-

A New Model of the Universe

Nicolaus Copernicus studied planetary movement for more than 25 years and reasoned that the stars, earth, planets revolved around the sun.

This theory- HELIOCENTRIC- was considered heresy by the Church so his book was not published until just before his death.

Heliocentric Model

Johannes Kepler

Using data from previous scientists, Kepler concluded that mathematical laws govern planetary motion.

He proved that planets moved in elliptical orbits around the sun, rather than circular orbits.

Galileo Galilei

Most important contributions:A falling object accelerates at a fixed and predictable rate.Built a telescope to study the sky-1609Saw that Jupiter had 4 moonsSun had dark spotsMoon had rough and uneven surface.

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Galileo vs. Church

Galileo’s ideas upset the Church because they disproved what the Church had been teaching.

Church worried that their authority would be questioned

Church ordered Galileo to stop his work-when he didn’t he was called before the

Continued….

Inquisition (Church court) and threatened with torture if he didn't’t recant his work.

He read a signed confession, saying his work was false and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.

His books and ideas continued to spread.

Scientific Method

Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes helped advance the new approach:

1. Problem or Question

2. Hypothesis

3. Experiment

4. Analyze & Interpret

5. Conclusion

6. Start all over again

The Enlightenment

Philosophers admired the work that the scientists had done in gaining new knowledge and understanding the natural world so they decided to use the same techniques to learn about other areas- human behavior, religion, government, economics and education.

Continued….

This is how the Scientific Revolution paved the way for the Enlightenment or Age of Reason.

The Enlightenment reached its zenith in the mid-1700’s and started with key ideas of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

John Locke

NATURAL RIGHTS “All people are born free and equal with three natural rights:

Life, Liberty, Property

Purpose of Government- protect those rights.

If government fails, citizens have the right to overthrow it

Continued…

John Locke believed that people were basically good and could learn from experience and improve themselves

He felt that they had the natural ability to govern their own lives AND to look after the welfare of society.

His ideas influenced the formation of our founding fathers .

Thomas Hobbes

Hobbes believed:

Life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”.

All humans were naturally selfish and wicked.

Without governments (absolute monarchy) there would be “war of every man against every man”

Continued……

Hobbes argued that in order to avoid a horrible life, they had to give up their rights to a strong leader. In exchange, they would get law and order—peace.

He called this- a “Social Contract” or an unwritten agreement between ruler and citizen.

Philosophes: French philosophers or “lovers of knowledge”

Famous philosophes: Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu,