Chapter 17

The Scientific
Revolution
 Key Events
• The ideas of the Scientific
Revolution and the
Enlightenment laid the
foundation for a modern
worldview based on
rationalism and secularism.
• Enlightenment thought led Galileo
some rulers to advocate such
natural rights as equality
before the law and freedom of
religion.
• The American colonies formed
a new nation and ratified the
Constitution of the United
States based on these ideas. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
 Rationalism
Reason is the chief source of knowledge.
Louis XIV – “The Sun King”
A source of light to all his people.
Created the Royal Academy of Science
Chapter 17 Video
Andreas Vesalius wrote On The
Fabric of the Human Body,
which presented a careful and
accurate examination of human
anatomy.
Three major developments occur…

1. Scientific Method
The intellectuals of the Enlightenment
advocated the rights of the individual,
paving the way for the rise of:
2. Democracy
Montesquieu’s idea of:
3. Separation of Powers a
system of checks and balances that
strongly influenced the writing of the
Constitution of the United States.

Charles Montesquieu
Galileo wrote in 1622
accounts of his
observations with the
telescope:
“The Starry Messenger”
Galileo Vs. The Catholic Church
Galileo is often called, the
“Father of Modern Physics"
• Galileo was ordered to stand trial
on suspicion of heresy in 1633
• During his last years, Galileo was
allowed to return to his villa at
Arcetri near Florence, where he
spent the remainder of his life
under house arrest, dying from
natural causes on January 8,
1642.
• On 31 October 1992, Pope John
Paul II expressed regret for
how the Galileo affair was
handled, as the result of a study
conducted by the Pontifical
Council for Culture.
Video: Galileo’s Powerful Telescope
Background to the Revolution
Telescope, microscope, and printing press open a who
new world of understanding.
Background to the Revolution (cont.)
• The study of mathematics in
the Renaissance contributed to
the scientific achievements of
the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
• The great scientists of
the day believed that
the secrets of nature Newton
were written in the
language of
mathematics.
• These intellectuals
developed new theories
that became the
foundation of the
Scientific Revolution.