Kenneth's Ch 24 Outline, Pt 1

Kenneth Li Euro Hist. 6th Period 11-9-07 Ch. 24, pg 663-674 I. The Age of European Enlightenment 1) No single force during past 3 centuries had changed every region of world. -changed as western science and technology. 2) Science remains dominant force. -getting knowledge of science is goal for most states. -usually for military and medical/economic advance. 3) Science dominated non-European states in 19th and 20th centuries. 4) Eagerness to want change represents primary intellectual inheritances. 5) Movement to foster such ideas is called Enlightenment. -spirit of innovation and improvement came to characterize Western society. II. The Scientific Revolution 1) In 16th and 17th century, places were changing massively. -Earth wasn’t center of universe any more. -Sun is, and Sun is only countless many stars 2) Lead to vast rethinking of moral and religious matters. 3) Called the Scientific Revolution. -revolution usually means change in less time. -Scientific Revolution wasn’t fast change, nor did it involve more than few hundred people. -it had its ups and downs, but would expand to every major civilizations. A. Nicolaus Copernicus 1) Was a Polish astronomer and had a high reputation. -Educated in Italy; corresponded with astronomers. -wasn’t known for original and unorthodox thought. 2) Published book called On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. -published the year he died. 3) Explanation of the earth and heavens was associated with Ptolemaic. -made book titled Almagest; had many Ptolemaic systems. -most had earth as the center of the universe. -in his theory, above earth were all the planets, stars, and God and angels. -earth was in the middle b/c it was heaviest. 4) Many of these theories were disproved; most famous was motion of planets. -planets can be seen moving through telescopes. -they also seemed to be moving backwards, called epicycles. 5) Said if Earth was to move in circles, then Sun must be center of the galaxy. -made more mathematical changes; concluded this was better. -planets now revolved around sun with the earth. 6) Rest of book stayed mostly Ptolemaic. B. Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler

1) Brahe attacked Copernicus’ ideas with his own earth-centered ones. -said that sun and moon revolved around earth; rest of planets around sun. -had new observations made with naked eye to contend with Copernicus. -drew up most accurate tables of observations since centuries. 2) When Brahe died, Kepler took control of his data charts. -Kepler supported Copernicus views of solar system. -wanted a sun centered galaxy though, so abandoned Copernicus’ ideas. -used Copernicus’ sun-centered system and Kepler’s data chart to make a book titled On the Motion of Mars. 3) Still no one can explain why planetary orbits are elliptical. C. Galileo Galilei 1) Found out that Ptolemaic system was very wrong. -the sun had spots moving across it; Jupiter had moons -the moon had mountains; there were suddenly much more stars. -all this proved much of Ptolemaic was wrong. 2) He publicized his findings and wrote them down. -made into a book titled Dialogues on the Two Chief Systems of the World. -condemnation of Roman Catholic Church went down on him. 3) Most important achievement was to articulate concept of universe being only by mathematical laws. -believed smallest atom behaved with same precision as largest sphere. 4) Galileo was champions of applications of mathematics to science. -Francis Bacon advocated method based solely on empiricism. D. Francis Bacon 1) Is regarded as father of empiricism and experimentation in science. -this was mostly unearned, as he was not a scientist. -he set a tone and help create a climate for other scientists’ work. -attacked scholastic belief that most truth was already discovered, only needed explanation. 2) One of first major European writers to champion innovation and change. -his own theory of induction from empirical evidence was unsystematic. -his great achievements were persuading thinkers that scientific thought must conform to empirical experience. E. Isaac Newton 1) Used work from predecessors and his brilliance to solve remaining problem. -published The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. -largely indebted work to Galileo. -reasoned that the planets pulled on each other to move in orderly way. -demonstrated relationship mathematically. 2) Newton was math genius, but upheld importance of empirical data. -thought you first had to observe phenomena, then explain it. 3) Spirits and divinities now were not believed in b/c of lawful lives. -b/c of Scientific Revolution, people no longer had to live in fear. -study of nature was better to understand and mutually supporting. 4) Physics and astronomy spread rapidly.

-Europeans began to tire of the wars of religion; finally had basis for God. F. John Locke 1) Attempted to achieve a lawful picture of the human mind. -no other philosopher had such profound impact on European thought. 2) He thinks that when someone is first born, their mind is blank. -must have sense experience to put things into mind. -his thinking represented early form of behaviorism. -also thought humans didn’t need grace of God to forgive sins. -can take charge of their own life. 3) Argued that rulers weren’t absolute in power. -Rulers are subject to nature. -every person is free and independent. -argued that any monarch violated trust put on them can be overthrown. -argued against absolutism. 4) Each person was responsible for own religious salvation. -governments existed to protect property and civil order. III. The Enlightenment 1) Worked to expose social and political abuses. -said that reforms were possible. -confronted vested interests, political oppression, and religious condemnation. 2) Second half of century the philosophes were sufficiently safe from persecution. -books and articles became more practical. A. Voltaire 1) Was one of the earliest and most influential philosophes. -offended French authorities; was briefly put to jail. -went to England to the greatest literary places. -published Letters on the English; indirectly criticized French society. 2) Turned much of his worst satire to French and European life. -thought that human society could and should improve. -thought that reform, even if formed, would probably not last. B. The Encyclopedia 1) The publication was the greatest monuments of Enlightenment. -had over 100 authors, and editors solicited articles from French. -project reached fruition after many attempts to censor and stop it from publishing. 2) Project was designed to teach many new things. -future of man isn’t in God, but using earth’s resources. -also into living at peace with fellow humans. 3) With the encyclopedia published, enlightened thought was tied to Continent. IV. The Enlightenment and Religion 1) The philosophes hated the church, as they thought this was main reason they couldn’t be so happy. -church perpetuated religious rather than scientific view of humankind. -clergy taught as human beings being sinful creatures; must be baptized.

2) Philosophes suggested that fate of human’s soul after death had no relation to virtuous life. A. Deism 1) Philosophes believed that religion should be reasonable and moral. -God who created nature must be rational. -deism- movement for enlightened religion. 2) Christianity Not Mysterious tells of general tenor of this religious outlook. -wished to consider religion natural and rational. -Newton believed God might interfere with order, while deists thought God as divine watchmaker. 3) B/c nature had evidence for natural God, that deity must also favor morality. -2nd point in deists’ creed was belief of life after death. 4) Deism was empirical, tolerant, reasonable, and capable of encouraging virtuous living.