GEC 7 NOTES:
Copernican model. He saw that Venus had phases,
INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS
The Geocentric Universe
 people lived and conducted their affairs was one in which
human beings played a pre-eminent role; everything
revolved around man, both physically and in God's eyes.
The Old Testament story of Genesis was taken as
historical fact. God had created the Earth and the Heavens
around. Man (and to a lesser extent woman) was the focus of
God's attention.
 Aristotle mistakenly believed that the Earth was at the center
(geocentrism) of the universe and made up of only four
elements: earth, water, air, and fire. He also thought
that celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars, were
perfect and divine, and made of a fifth element called ether.
 The model of the cosmos was still that formulated by the
Greek philosopher Claudius Ptolemy around 140 AD.
The sun, moon, planets and stars all revolved around
the earth in circular orbits. Back then, everyone “knew”
that the earth stood still at the center of the universe.
1. Copernican Revolution - Polish astronomer, Nicolaus
Copernicus
 Heliocentric Theory – the sun is the center of the solar
system; planets move around the sun in elliptical orbits;
planets move in retrograde motion
 Italian scientist Galileo Galilei –with his newly invented
telescope, he found convincing evidence in favor of the
just like the moon, when only half, or just a crescent, of
it would be lit -- which is what would happen if Venus
orbited the sun. He also found that Jupiter had its own
moons in orbit around it, dispelling the idea that
everything went around the earth.
 Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who had
accumulated volumes of accurate astronomical
observations. Brahe set Kepler to work on the motion
of Mars, the planet with the most troublesome orbit.
The earth is fixed at the center of the universe and the
sun and moon revolve around the earth; planets orbit
around the moving sun
 German mathematician, Johannes Kepler -
discovered that planets move; the movements of Mars,
and all the other planets, could be accounted for, their
orbits were ellipses rather than circles. But as to why
the orbits should be ellipses rather than circles,
he had no idea.
Formulated the laws of planetary motion
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not
discovered the value of life.”
—Charles Darwin
2. Darwinian Revolution - Charles Robert Darwin (February 12,
1809 to April 19, 1882) was a naturalist and biologist known
for his theory of evolution by the process of natural
selection – variation; heritable traits; isolation leads to
the occurrence of new species; more are reproduced than
can survive;
 At the time, other naturalists believed that all species
either came into being at the start of the world or were
created over the course of natural history. In either
case, they believed species remained much the same
throughout time.
 Background:
- 12 February 1809, The Mount, Shrewsbury, United
Kingdom
- Died: 19 April 1882, Down House, Downe, United
Kingdom, was buried in
Westminster Abbey.
- Siblings: Erasmus Alvey Darwin, Emily Catherine
Darwin
- Children: Anne Darwin, George Darwin, Francis Darwin
- Wife: Emma Wedgwood, his first cousin, in 1839.
 In November 1859 Darwin published On the Origin of
Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for
Life. His basic idea was that in the struggle to survive,
some organisms adapt better than others to their
surroundings, and when these survivors give birth
they pass their traits on to their offspring, causing
species to evolve.
 An English philosopher (seeker of wisdom)
named Herbert Spencer created the phrase
"survival of the fittest" to describe this idea.
 The publication of Darwin's book brought worldwide
attention to his theory and created heated dispute.
Darwin was aware of all the criticism he received and
tried to answer it in the additional five editions of
Origin that were produced during his lifetime. In these
editions he wanted to avoid trouble and wound up
making several changes; this weakened his
presentation and made him seem unsure of his views.
 In The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin expands on
his theories of natural selection, which he first
articulated in On the Origin of Species. Darwin wrote
this book to explore the following three concepts:
whether man descended from a pre-existing form, the
manner of that development, and the importance of
racial variation among the species of man.
 Darwin's purpose is not merely to outline similarities
and differences between man and apes; it is to
explain the origin of such similarities and differences
as well as their impact on the process of sexual
selection.
3. Sigmund Freud was the first to use the term psychoanalysis in
1896.
 From that point his theories blossomed.
 did not invent the terms unconscious,
conscious, or conscience; however, he was
pivotal in making them popular.
 accomplished the theory of psychological reality: id,
ego, and superego. (structural model)
 According to Freud's model of the psyche, the id is the
primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains
sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories,
the super-ego operates as a moral conscience, and
the ego is the realistic part that mediates between the
desires of the id and the super-ego.
 The id, ego, and superego are names for the three
parts of the human personality which are part of
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic personality
 theory. According to Freud, these three parts combine
to create the complex behavior of human beings.
 The id, ego and superego work together in creating a
behavior. The id creates the demands, the ego adds
the needs of reality with the superego adds morality to
the action which is taken.
 Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud (1856-
1939). Freud believed that people could be cured by
making conscious their unconscious thoughts and
motivations, thus gaining "insight". The aim of
psychoanalysis therapy is to release repressed
emotions and experiences, i.e. make the unconscious
conscious.(topographical model)
EXAMPLE:
Id: Meeting Basic Needs
The id is the most basic part of the personality, and wants instant
gratification for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not
met, a person becomes tense or anxious.
 Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting for the server to refill her
glass of water, she reached across the table and drank from
Mr. Smith’s water glass, much to his surprise.
 A hungry baby cried until he was fed.
 A toddler who wanted another helping of dessert whined
incessantly until she was given another serving.
 Michael saw a $5 bill fall out of Nick’s backpack as he pulled
his books out of his locker. As Nick walked away, Michael bent
over, picked up the money, and slipped it into his pocket,
glancing around to make sure no one was looking.
 On Black Friday, customers were so obsessed with getting a
good deal that they shoved others out of their way and
trampled them, not thinking twice about hurting people if it
meant they could get want they wanted.
 In line at the salad bar, Amy was so hungry that she shoved a
handful of croutons in her mouth as she waited for the line to
move.
 Bart was stuck in traffic. He just wanted his vehicle to move!
Enraged at the situation, Bart pulled his car onto the shoulder
and sped forward, not caring that he was clipping people’s side
mirrors as he tried to get ahead of the cars in front of him.
Ego: Dealing with Reality
The ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires of the id in a
way that is socially acceptable in the world. This may mean delaying
gratification, and helping to get rid of the tension the id feels if a
desire is not met right away. The ego recognizes that other people
have needs and wants too, and that being selfish is not always good
for us in the long run.
 Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server would be
back soon to refill her water glass, so she waited until then to get
a drink, even though she really just wanted to drink from Mr.
Smith’s glass.
 Even though Michael needed money, he decided not to steal
the money from the cash register because he didn’t want to
get in trouble.
 In line at the salad bar, Amy really wanted to shove a handful
of croutons into her mouth. However, since her boss was
there, she decided to wait another minute or two until she sat
down to eat.
 Mary really wanted to borrow her mom’s necklace, but knew
her mom would be angry if she took it without asking, so
she asked her mom if she could wear it.
 Hillary was so sweaty after her workout that she wanted to
change her clothes right there by the car. However, she knew
the other people around her would not approve, so she waited
until she was in the restroom to change.
 Katie’s mom had given her $25 to purchase groceries for
dinner that night. At the mall, Katie saw shoes that she really
wanted, and was tempted to use the money from her mom to
make the purchase. However, if she spent the money on
shoes, she wouldn’t have enough to buy the groceries, so she
decided she better not buy the shoes.
 Tim really wanted to slug Mark for what he had just said.
However, Tim knew if he hit Mark, he would be kicked off the
baseball team, and since he loved baseball, he unclenched his
fists and walked away.
Superego: Adding Morals
The superego develops last, and is based on morals and
judgments about right and wrong. Even though the superego and
the ego may reach the same decision about something, the
superego’s reason for that decision is more based on moral
values, while the ego’s decision is based more on what others will
think or what the consequences of an action could be.
 Sarah knew that she could steal the supplies from work and
no one would know about it. However, she knew that stealing
was wrong, so she decided not to take anything even though
she would probably never get caught.
 Maggie couldn’t remember the answer to test question #12,
even though she had studied. Nate was the smartest kid in the
class, and from where Maggie sat, she could see his answers if
she turned her head slightly. When Mrs. Archer turned her back,
Maggie almost cheated, but her conscience stopped her
because she knew it was wrong. Instead, Maggie took a guess
at the answer and then turned in her paper.
 While away on business, Tom had many opportunities to be
unfaithful to his wife. However, he knew the damage such
behavior would have on his family, so made the decision to
avoid the women who had expressed interest in him.
 When Michael saw the $5 bill lying on the floor with no one
around it, he turned it into the school office in case anyone
came looking for it. He wouldn’t want to lose
$5, and hoped that whoever had lost it would ask about it in the
office.
 The cashier only charged the couple for one meal even though
they had eaten two. They could have gotten away with only
paying for one, but they pointed out the cashier’s mistake and
offered to pay for both meals. They wanted to be honest and
they knew that the restaurant owner and employees needed to
make a living.
 On the playground, two kids were making fun of Joseph
because he wore glasses. John was tempted to join in so that
he could make himself look good, but when he thought about
how bad Joseph must already feel, he knew that he couldn’t.
 Will had worked hard all season to break the school record in
cross-country. During his last race he had the opportunity to cut
a corner and therefore lower his time, because no officials were
watching that part of the course. As much as he wanted to
break the school record, Will knew he wouldn’t feel good about
himself if he cheated, so he stuck to the course and ran as fast
as he could.
4. The Information Age (also known as the Computer Age,
Digital Age, or New Media Age) is a period in human history
characterized by the shift from traditional industry that the
Industrial Revolution brought through industrialization, to an
economy based on information technology.
 Information Revolution – finding advance ways of
communication; dismantle the anthropoetic nature (man is
always at the center)
- Writing era – pictograph
- Printing Era – paper, ink, printing press
 - Mass media – telegraph
- Entertainment era – radio
- Toolshed Home – telephone
- Information hi-way – current age – internet; mobile phone
 The digital age, also called the information age, is defined as
the time period starting in the 1970s with the introduction of
the personal computer with subsequent technology introduced
providing the ability to transfer information freely and quickly

 The Digital Revolution, also known as the Third

Industrial Revolution, is the shift from mechanical and
analogue electronic technology to digital
electronics which began anywhere from the late 1950s to the
late 1970s with the adoption and proliferation of digital
computers and digital record keeping that continues to the
present day.

 Implicitly, the term also refers to the sweeping changes brought

about by
digital computing and communication technology during (and
after) the latter half of the 20th century. Analogous to the
Agricultural Revolution and Industrial Revolution, the Digital
Revolution marked the beginning of the Information Age