1. Science and the Enlightenment Controllers of their Own World

2. Scientific Revolution Was the first stage of a larger political and cultural movement. Started in the late 1500s and lasts until the early 1800s. From the end of the Age of Exploration – beginning of Romanticism

3. Enlightened scientists broke with Renaissance thinkers. Rejected the need to look to the past for truths Believe that Greeks and Romans did not have all the answers. Look to the present and future for truths. Empiricism and rationalism was the path to true knowledge. Rejected all superstition and myth. Science and religion would be reconciled with God as the great mechanic who designed and built the universe.

4. Premises of the Enlightenment 1. The universe is fully intelligible and governed by natural rather than the supernatural forces. 2. Rigorous application of “scientific methods” can answer the fundamental questions in all areas of inquiry. 3. The human race can be “educated” to achieve nearly infinite improvement

5. Francis Bacon 1561 - 1626 Wrote Novum Organum (New Instrument) 1620. “…the corruption of philosophy by superstition and an admixture of theology…does the greater harm.” He argued that if it could not be empirically proven (observed through the senses), it served no purpose. His ideas served as the foundation for the British Enlightenment thinkers.

6. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Wrote Discourse on Method (1637) “I think, therefore I am.” He agreed with Bacon’s assertion that scientists should stop looking to the classical world for truths. He differed though in the methods. He believed in rationalism. All knowledge starts from questions All knowledge is unproven until scientifically verified. His major theory was the theory of Dualism God created two kinds of reality – mind and matter Humanity was ruled by the mind The universe (matter) was governed by physical laws

7. Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) Wrote Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687) Took ideas of Copernicus and Galileo and discovered three laws of motion. If no force acts on an object, it will remain at rest or maintain its constant motion in a straight line Every change of motion or acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the force that caused the change and inversely proportional to the objects mass For every action force, there is an equal reaction force in the opposite direction He rejected some of Descartes’ ideas about mind and matter. Descarte saw the senses as creations of the mind (light, colour, etc) Newton proved that unseen things are not of the mind – refracted light.