Transcript Chapter 14

The Century of Genius
New Directions in
Thought and Culture
in The 16th and 17th
Centuries
Sample FRQs from Previous AP
Exams
Assess the impact of the Scientific Revolution on religion and
philosophy in the period 1550 to 1750. (2004)
(Judge the value or character of something; decide how true or false
a statement is.)
Explain the development of the scientific method in the
seventeenth century and the impact of scientific thinking on
traditional sources of authority. (2000)
(Make clear or plain the causes or reasons for; make known in detail)
Describe the new astronomy of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries and analyze the ways in which it changed
scientific thought and methods. (1991)
(Give an account; tell about; give a word picture of.)
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
• "Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is
a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to
crush him. A vapor, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But,
if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more
noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he
dies and the advantage which the universe has over him, the
universe knows nothing of this. All our dignity then,
consists in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and
not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor
then, to think well; this is the principle of morality."
Respond to the following.
• How would you define the term scientific
revolution?
– Do not use the words science or revolution in
your definitions.
• Which is more enduring, a political
revolution or an intellectual one?
The Age of Genius
– Time period
– Origins (what events laid the foundation for the S.R.
and why?)
– What took place during the time period and
significance.
– Individuals who participated in the event and their
contributions.
– S.R.’s impact on future events (immediate and longterm)
Scientific Revolution to New
Imperialism
Scientific Revolution (16th-17th Centuries)

Agricultural Revolution (18th Century)

Population Growth (Mid 18th Century)-Urbanization

Development of Industry (18th -19th Centuries)

New Imperialism based on Supremacy (20th Century)
KEY POINTS
• Change in the scientific view of the universe.
• Geocentric theory to the heliocentric theory
• Rethinking of humankind’s place in a larger scheme of
things, which led to profound rethinking of moral and
religious matters.
• Faith and reason, science needed new methods of
reconciliation.
• New ideas of natural philosophy challenged Scholasticism
and Aristotelian philosophy
Respond to the following:
• Which do you think made the most
significant contribution? Why?
–
–
–
–
–
Copernicus
Brahe
Kepler
Galileo
Newton
Before the 16th Century
• Aristotle
• 384 - 322 B.C.
• Dominated European
Science until the 16th
century.
• Envisioned a
hierarchical order of the
universe.
Claudius Ptolemy
• 87 - 150 A.D.
• Greek Astronomer
• Algamest (the greatest)
– Summarized the
conclusions of Greek
astronomers and
presented his own
theories and
observations.
• Accepted Aristotle’s theories
the earth was encased by a
series of clear spheres
revolving around it.
Ptolemy’s Universe
Ptolemy placed the earth at the center of the
universe with the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the
Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn circling our
planet.
Christian Theology
• Aristotle’s theory the earth standing at the center,
was heavy, corrupted not only by its weight but by
original sin and earthly misdeeds.
– Rest, not motion, is the natural state of all entities.
• Angels were placed off in a weightless existence
in Heaven.
• The goal of human beings was to achieve the
lightness in Heaven, God’s domain, on the
exterior edge of the universe.
Nicolaus Copernicus
• 1473 - 1543
• Studied medicine and law in
Poland and Italy.
• All observations of the heavens
done with the naked eye.
• Determined the planets, the
moon, and the stars did not
move around the earth at the
same speed or in the same
spherical orbits as suggested by
Ptolemy.
Copernicus
• Concluded the sun, not the
earth, lies at the center of
universe, and that the earth
turns on its axis once every 365
days.
• “In the middle of all sits the
Sun enthroned. How could we
place this luminary in any better
position in this most beautiful
temple from which to illuminate
the whole at once?”
Critics of the Heliocentric Theory
• The notion that the earth was but one planet
rotating in circular orbit around the sun raised
shocking questions about the earth’s status.
• This perplexed and angered Catholic, Protestant,
and Jewish theologians by seeming to reduce the
standing of mankind.
• Martin Luther said of Copernicus, “This fool
wants to turn the whole of astronomy upside
down!”
Tycho Brahe
• 1546 - 1601
• Danish Astronomer
• Trivia--Lost part of his nose in a duel and replaced it with
a construction of silver and gold alloy perched above his
handle-bar mustache.
• Built an astronomical observatory on a Danish Island.
Tycho Brahe
• Rejected Copernicus’s contention that the earth
rotated around the sun.
• Came up with an explanation that had five known
planets rotating around the sun, which in turn
moved around the stationary earth.
• Compiled data based on observations, charted
what he could see of planetary orbits, and using
mathematics to locate the position of the planets
and stars.
Johannes Kepler
• 1571 - 1630
• Assistant to Brahe
• Trivia--Saved his
mother’s life by
defending her against
heresy because of her
interest in astrology.
She was to be burned
at the stake.
Johannes Kepler
• Astronomer, mathematician, religious mystic, and
astrologer.
• Promised Brahe to continue his work after Brahe’s
death.
• Discovered the orbits of the planets were
“imperfect”--not circular but elliptical.
• Also concluded that the planets were affected by
some sort of force emanating from the sun
(magnetic based on Gilbert’s theory)
• Postulated three laws of planetary motion
Hobbes and Locke
• Leviathan (1651)
• Two Treatises on Government (1690)
Galileo Galilei
Science on Trial
• 1564 - 1642
• Studied medicine and
mathematics
• Modified the “spy
glass” from Holland
and constructed his
own telescope.
Galileo
“Not for the Common Folk”
• “The mobility of the earth
is a proposition far beyond
the comprehension of the
common people.”
• “all too-numerous vulgar.”
• “Ought to be kept in
darkness, lest they become
confused, obstinate, and
contumacious” (willfully
disobedient)
The Church and the Trial
• Galileo researched and taught at the
University of Padua, which was under the
protection of Venice who was hostile
toward the pope.
• 1616--Pope Urban VIII (Galileo’s friend),
condemned Galileo’s proposition that the
sun is the center of the universe and warned
him not to teach it.
The Trial
• Dialogue Concerning Two
World Systems--Ptolemaic
and Copernican
• Presented two systems
• Ptolemy’s system was
portrayed by the character,
Simplicio
• This outraged the church
that a character
represented the pope.
The Trial
• The book led to Galileo’s condemnation by
the inquisition in 1633.
• Placed under house arrest in the hills above
Florence.
• He continued to observe, experiment, and
write.
• Galileo continued to work despite
blindness.
Pascal
FRQ
• Analyze at least two factors that account for
the rise and two factors that explain the
decline of witchcraft persecution and trials
in Europe during the period from 1580 1750. (2002)
The Experiments
• Undermined Aristotle’s theory of motion
• Demonstrated the earth was in perpetual rotation and that
balls of varying weights will pick speed at the same rate as
they fall, that their speed is not determined by their mass.
• From these experiments he developed the theory of inertia
• Inertia: a body moving at a constant speed in a straight
line will continue to move until encountering another
force.
• Concluded that motion, not rest, was a natural state.
Answer the following in your
notebooks.
• What did Francis Bacon contribute to the
foundation of scientific thought?
• What did Rene Descartes contribute to
natural philosophy?
Galileo
• Discovered Jupiter’s
moons
• Saturn’s rings
• Stars of the Milky Way
• Mountains on the moon
• Spots on the surface of the
sun led to the conclusion
that sun rotated.
Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)
• “Silence is the virtue of fools.”
• “If a man will begin with certainties, he
shall end in doubts; but if he will be
content to begin with doubts he shall
end in certainties.”
• “A wise man will make more
opportunities than he finds.”
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650)
• “Cogito ergo sum.” (I think; therefore I
am.)
• “Except our own thoughts, there is
nothing absolutely in our power.”
• “In order to improve the mind, we ought
less to learn, than to contemplate.”
Witch Hunts (16th - 17th Centuries)
• Using your response to question 6 and your
double-entry journal complete the following
task.
• Compare the information on witch hunts
from your textbook with information from
Monter’s article. What are the similarities
and differences?