The Scientific Revolution

Changing Views of the World

Ptolemy (ancient Greek astronomer) held that the Earth was the center of the universe.

It was believed because it seemed to make common sense.

The Church also accepted this concept.

Ptolemy

A Revolutionary TheoryNicolaus Copernicus (1473 –

1543) On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres – in his work

Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the universe. The earth was just one of several planets that revolved around the sun.

Why was this theory rejected by most “experts” and the Church?

A Revolutionary TheoryTycho Brahe (1546 – 1601)Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630)

Brahe provided evidence that supported Copernicus’s theory. After his death, his assistant, Kepler, carried on the work and also discovered that the planets did not move in perfect circles but in an ellipse.

A Revolutionary TheoryGalileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)

In Italy, Galileo used technology developed by a Dutch lens grinder to assemble an astronomical telescope. With this instrument he was the first person to see the mountains on the moon and sunspots. He also observed the four moons of Jupiter moving slowly around the planet.WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE OF THE CHURCH?

The New Scientific MethodWhat is the Scientific Method?

Newton Ties It All TogetherSir Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727)Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy Newton’s work in which he explained the law of gravity and other workings of the universe.

More Scientific AdvancesChemistry – Robert Boyle – In the

early 1600s, distinguished between the individual elements and chemical compounds. Also the effect of temperature and pressure on gases.

More Scientific AdvancesMedicine – Andreas Vesalius (1514 -1564)

On the Structure of the Human Body – the first accurate and detailed study of the human anatomy.

More Scientific AdvancesMedicine – Ambroise Pare (1510 –

1590)Developed a more effective ointment for preventing infection as well as the use of “stitches” for closing wounds.

More Scientific AdvancesMedicine – William Harvey (1578

– 1657)Described the circulation of the blood and showed how the heart serves as a pump to force blood through the veins and arteries.

Bacon and DescartesFrancis Bacon (1561 – 1626)

Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650)

Bacon stressed experiment and observation and challenged the scholarly traditions of the medieval universities that sought to make the physical world fit in with the teachings of the Church.

Descartes emphasized human reasoning as the best road to understanding.