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Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

Scientific Revolution

Today, our life depends on science. Science cures our diseases, eases communication with

everyone around, and allows us to travel without travelling, in a virtual environment I mean.

Science answers some of the questions humans have been unable to answer for half of its

existence. Like, where do Sun go at night? There is so much science has done for us, that we

have started taking it for granted. We never notice that there was a time where people had to

wait years to talk to their loved ones or when parents had to endure deaths of four or five kids

before they could see one reaching the age of five. So when did this all started? Who made

laboratories or teach humans to do experiments? While the history of science goes back to

ancient times and rise of Islam contributed to it as well, a major event that boosted the pace

of scientific invention and thinking happened in 17th century Europe: The Scientific

Revolution.

Age of Enlightenment

Just when scientists were making new discoveries and inventions, philosophers were

intrigued to apply the same scientific method to answer philosophical questions. Like what is

good and what is bad? The intellectual and philosophical movement in Europe that

emphasized on logical thinking and scientific reasoning is called as Enlightenment. The main

Enlightenment idea was that humans can think for themselves and should not be dictated by

authorities, whether political or religious.

Watch this video to learn about Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vL4-Ophj5s
Scientists and Enlightenment Thinkers

Here are some important scientists and Enlightenment Thinkers. Read about them to answer

all the accompanying questions.

Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543)

Nicolaus Copernicus was born in a wealthy merchant

family in Poland, which was a province of Prussian Empire
at that time. He was a mathematical astronomer, physician,
economist, and translator. At that time, the Ptolemaic model
used by astronomers was geocentric, with earth at center of
universe. The astronomical model that Copernicus
developed was called heliocentrism (helios means Sun). It
has Sun at the center and earth, like other planets, revolving
around it. The model was against the Church teaching who have been preaching about
centrality of human in the universe. But by the time his book was published, he had died. The
church banned the book in 1616 and then republished the censored version in 1620.The
theory and ideas put forward by Copernicus started the scientific revolution.
Source: Adapted from “Nicolaus Copernicus” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Location: Poland

Famous for: He wrote On the Revolutions in 1543 in which he proposed Heliocentric Model
of Universe.

Imagine you are a farmer living in Prussia in 16th century. You see sun rising and falling

every day and one day someone told you the sun is static, it is the Earth that’s moving.

Will you accept? Why/Why not?

As we know that the intellect and considering depend concurring to the period we are

breathing. So as in case I was back to 16th Century had the same considering as
the individuals of that time around the revolution of other planet but the stationary of
GalileoGalilei (1564-1642)
sun. It is due to the need of the development as coordinate up to this 2020 century. So in
my conclusion to the sun inactive was being a imperfection.
Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy. When he was born, there
was no “science” yet when he died, science was about to be
recognized as a discipline in universities. He was an
astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher and
inventor. Among his inventions were telescopes, a compass and
a thermometer. Through this telescope, he was able to confirm
the heliocentric model of Copernicus. He published the results of his observation in
Dialogues concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World. He was condemnedby Roman
Catholic Church on this book, who banned his book and put him in house arrest. He held that
universe is totally subjectedto mathematical laws from smallest atom to heavenly spheres.

Source: Adapted from “Galileo Galilei” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Location: Italy

Famous for: He wrote Dialogues Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the Worldin 1632 in
which he compared the two models and implicitly supported the heliocentric model. He
improved telescope and compass, and was a strong support of mathematical inquiry.

You are to decide whether Galileo was right or wrong. Can you do it without telescope?

Telescope is one of the finest innovations of science history which makes a

difference the researcher to uncover numerous riddle of the universe as like of

the turn of planets. As through article we know that Galileo was not the

primary researcher to gave the hypothesis of the inactive of sun but, they

were repetitive due to not giving demonstrate to their hypothesis but Galileo did

it fair since of the telescope, on the off chance that he was not able to concoct the

telescope he likely confront the same excess as other.

John Locke (1632-1704)

John Locke was an English philosopher and writer. He lived

through the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution in
England both of which influenced his ideas. Locke was a
religious man but he believed that blind faith was dangerous.
Combining his Christian beliefs with reason and the
examination of evidence that scientists used, he wrote about the
government, its purpose, and the best way to govern. His most
popular and influential book was Two Treatises of Government. The book explains Locke’s
view on the purpose of government and the natural rights of people.

Source: Adapted from “John Locke”, New World Encyclopedia

Location: England

Famous for: He wrote Two Treatises of Government in 1690 in which he claimed that
humans have a birth (natural) right of life, liberty and property and governments are only
formed to protect these rights through consent of the governed.

Imagine you are the King of England and read Two Treatise of. How would you feel

about the ideas promoted in it?

King are made to look after their follower and fulfill every individual need but not in a

democratic way. So being a King I will probably be against his book, and will not

promote his idea.

Issac Newton (1643-1727)

Newton was born prematurely in a Middle-Class family. His

dad had died before his birth,and when he was 3 his mother
remarried and left him with his grandparents. He attended
Cambridge University which was temporarily closed because
people in urban areas were dying from the plague. Newton
retreated to his grandparents’ farm for two years, during
which time he proved that “white” light was composed of all
colors before he was 24 years old. It was on his grandparents’ farm that Newton sat under the
famous apple tree and saw an apple fall. He later developed the theory of gravity through this
observation.He supported empiricism – an idea to use observation as source of knowledge put
forward by Francis Bacon, a scientists before Newton. Newton was made a knight by Queen
Anne in 1705 and, at his death in 1727, he was buried in London’s Westminster Abbey.

Source: Adapted from “Issac Newton,” Khan Academy

Location: England

Famous for: He is the father of classical Physics and his Laws of Motion and Law of Gravity
are still studied and applied. Through this laws, he scientifically proved Copernicus Model in
his book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in 1687. He also strongly supported
the idea of empiricism and promoted experimental inquiry – to observe, make hypothesis,
conduct experiment and prove/disprove the hypotheses.

Why did Newton not receive much objections from the Church and government despite

supporting Copernicus Model? Was Europe changing?

Newton not get much complaints from the Church and government in spite of supporting

Copernicus Demonstrate since he was not the primary individual who

gave hypothesis on turn of soil as compare to Copernicus, after his hypothesis the

Europe intellect set towards revolution were changing as well.

Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)

Montesquieu was born in a well-to-do noble family in

France. Montesquieu was a lawyer but later devoted his life
to political study and writing. He lived during the English
Civil War and the reign of Louis XIV, both of which
influenced his writing.Montesquieu’s most well-known
book, De l'Esprit des Lois (The Spirit of the Laws) was
critical of absolute monarchy. The kings and queens of
Europe and their supporters disagreed with his claims and it
was banned by the Catholic Church. However, it was very
popular among opponents of monarch especially in England and the British colonies in North
America.
Source: Adapted from “Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu.” New World Encyclopedia

Location: France

Famous for: He wrote The Sprits of Law in 1748 in which he explained that power abuse
can only be resolved through separation of power in three branches - one that makes laws,
one that enforces laws, and one that interprets laws.

Montesquieu wrote “every man invested with power is apt to abuse it.” Do you agree?

How can we prevent it?

Montesquieu was a French political pragmatist that's for the most part known for

his speculation of the separation of powers. Realizing that

force debases which rulers frequently abuse it, Montesquieu made the speculation of

division of powers, which comprised of the segment of three parts of the organization,

which would hinder the abuse of concentrated and would make workable for

one department to preserve a vital remove from the abuse of escalated of

another department.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He spent

much of his adult life travelling first as a teacher and the secretary of
the French ambassador in Venice, Italy. He spent time in Paris
where he met and socialized with other Enlightenment philosophers
including Voltaire and Diderot. Rousseau returned to Switzerland
when his relationships with other Enlightenment thinkers became
strained. While in Geneva, Switzerland, he wrote his most famous
book, The Social Contract. The Social Contract was banned in France and Switzerland. To
avoid arrest for his views, Rousseau moved to England. Eventually he returned to Paris where
he lived until his death and continued to write books that were politically controversial.

Location: Switzerland/France

Famous for: He wrote The Social Contract in 1762 in which he argued that as members of a
society we enter an agreement, the social contract, in which we promise to follow the general
will of the society as expressed by the laws made by the government. In exchange, we receive
the liberty to do what we want as long as we do not break those laws.

Do you see any resemblance in Rousseau concepts and Locke’s concepts? Who is more

convincing to you?

John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau were both edification time scholars and essayists and

there were sure similitudes that bound them together. Both were Social Contract Theorists,

which implied they utilized comparable systems, envisioning what human presence would have

resembled before individuals framed governments and common social orders (this is the State of

Nature) Likewise, in contrast to Hobbes the Locke and Rousseau had an unmistakably

increasingly positive perusing of this early stage human state. At last, both Locke and Rousseau

were firmly contradicted to conventional Absolutism.

Now that you have read about some renowned scientists and enlightenment thinker, read

about their locations and guess the name of the country where people revolted against the

government soon after the death of Rousseau.

England