Download Roots of Scientific Revolution

Roots of Scientific Revolution
* The Scientific Revolution was born out of the advancements made in the areas of science
and math in the late 1500s and early 1600s (Renaissance).
* Following the age of exploration, new truths and new research challenged previous thought
processes and studies.
* As evidence mounted, scientists began to question ancient theories and the orthodox
teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
* Ptolemy’s theory of planetary motion (the geocentric theory – this means the sun, stars,
and planets traveled around a motionless Earth) and church teachings (Aristotle’s theories
AND what the Bible seemed to say – ex: in one Bible story, it says that God stops the sun
from moving across the sky) were brought into question by Copernicus’s heliocentric theory
(having the sun at the center).
* Copernicus’ astronomical observations convinced him that the Earth was not the center of
the universe.
* Copernicus said that Earth and the other planets traveled in circles around the sun. Earth
also tuned on its own axis every 24 hours. This explained why heavenly objects seemed to
move across the sky.
* Copernicus wrote his ideas in 1510 but did not publish them until 1540.
* In the 1600’s, Johannes Kepler improved Copernicus’ theory. Kepler figured that the
orbits (paths) of the planets were ellipses (ovals), not circles. He wrote precise
mathematical laws describing the movement of planets around the sun.
* Other major achievements included the contributions of Galileo and Newton.
* Galileo offered support for the heliocentric theory with his laws of motion and his
observation of space with use of the telescope.
* Copernicus and Galileo were two significant Renaissance scientists and astronomers who
taught that the Earth moved around the son.
* When Galileo spoke out in favor of Copernicus’s ideas, he was criticized by the Catholic
Church.
* In 1609, only a year after the telescope was invented, Galileo built an improved telescope.
He became the first person to study the sky using the telescope.
* Galileo saw that the moon was rough and uneven (Aristotle taught it was smooth).
* Galileo also saw moons going around Jupiter and Venus. He realized that the planets
revolved around the sun.
* Galileo’s theories led him into conflict with the Church. The Church leaders saw
Copernican theories as wrong and dangerous. The idea that the Earth was the center of the
universe was part of an entire system of beliefs approved by the Church. Church officials
feared that attacks on the geocentric theory could lead people to doubt the Church’s
teachings.
* Galileo wrote his theories in a book called Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems.
This was an imaginary conversation between Ptolemy (geocentric thinking) and Copernicus
(heliocentric thinking). The book portrayed the character who upheld the geocentric theory
as foolish and the one who believed the heliocentric version was logical and convincing.
* Galileo’s studies challenged the authority of the Catholic Church. Galileo was put on trial
for heresy, asked to recant, and under house arrest.
* Galileo’s book helped advance the Scientific Revolution
* Newton’s laws of gravity furthered the laws of motion and continued the challenge of old
theories.
* Newton was a brilliant scientist and mathematician.
* His greatest discovery was the law of gravity. All physical objects have a force of
attraction between them. The strength of the force depended on the masses (amount of
matter in an object) of the objects and the distance between them.
* Newton also described the laws of motion, which provided a physical explanation of what
other scientists had discovered. (For example, others had shown that the planets moved
around the sun. Newton’s laws explained why).
* Newton’s laws dramatically changed people’s picture of the universe. Many people began
to see the universe as a beautifully designed machine that was predictable and orderly.
Scientific Method
* The scientific method was a major contribution of this time period. This was the logical
procedure for testing theories that included beginning with a question, forming a hypothesis
that is then tested through experimentation, and finally analyzing data to reach a
conclusion.
* Frances Bacon and Rene Descartes used experimentation and reason to contribute to this
process.
* Frances Bacon distrusted most of the traditional learning of the Middle Ages.
* He said people could gain knowledge only if they rid their minds of false beliefs.
* He outlined a method of scientific investigation that depended on close observation.
* Rene Descartes prized logic and mathematics.
* To gain knowledge that was certain, he said people should doubt every statement until
logic proved it to be true.
* Descartes also saw the physical universe as obeying universal mathematical laws.
* Descartes claimed that mathematics was the source of all scientific truth because in
mathematics, the answers were also true. This is because mathematics began with simple,
obvious principles and then used logic to gradually move to other truths.
* Descartes is the founder of modern rationalism (the belief that reason is the chief source
of knowledge).
* These ideas helped created a new approach to science. Over time the scientific method
was developed.
* The scientific method combines logic, mathematics, and observation.
* Steps of the scientific method:
1. The scientist states a question or problem.
2. The scientist forms a hypothesis (assumption) about the problem
3. The scientist designs and conducts an experiment to test the hypothesis.
4. The scientist measures the data (information) produced by the experiment and records
the results.
5. The scientist analyzes the data to determine whether the hypothesis is correct.
* An advantage of this method is that any trained scientist can repeat what another has
done. In this way, scientists can test the ideas of others for themselves.
* The spread of the scientific method marked a break with the past. Fewer and fewer
people looked to traditional authorities for the answers to scientific problems.
Conflict Between Science and Religion
* A significant conflict arose between scientific thought and traditional religious beliefs
during this time.
* To Europeans during the Middle Ages, the Bible guided their thinking about the natural
world. Whatever the Bible seemed to say about nature must be true.
* The theories and books that were published also led to significant conflict with the
church.
* The Bible, as interpreted by the Roman Catholic Church, served as authority for society
prior to the rise of science. The teachings of the church, which were based on faith and
revelation, felt significant challenge from science, which offered empirical evidence for its
theories.
* With the publication of these new theories, the teachings of the Bible and the church
were called into question. This was a challenge to faith by reason.
* For the church, political, social, and economic authority was on the line.
* Scientists like Galileo were called to recant their teachings and reaffirm the teachings of
the church or face excommunication.