“On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”

I. Scientific Revolution A. Nicolaus Copernicus (Polish) 1473-1543 1. Discovered the Earth was not the center of the universe—that it rotated on its axis around the sun 2. He hid his work for 30 years

B. Johannes Kepler (German) 1571-1630 1. Used math to prove that the earth + all the planets rotated in elipses, not circles as Copernicus hypothesized

2. Kepler as a protestant did not fear the Catholic Church

C. Galileo Galilei (Italian) 1564-1642 1. Using observations from his homemade telescope, Galileo became convinced that the planets did indeed move around the sun

2. In 1632 he published his ideas and 2. In 1632 he published his ideas and the Catholic church banned the book 3. Pope Urban VIII put him on trial 4. At the threat of torture and death Galileo publicly refuted his work 5. After the trial he continued to work and helped establish the universal laws of physics including inertia

D. Francis Bacon—English philosopher 1561-1626 1. Claimed that ideas based solely on tradition or unproven facts should be discarded 2. To Bacon truth resulted only from using the scientific method

a. careful observation b. hypothesis to explain the observations c. experimenting to test the hypothesis d. if the experiments prove the hypothesis to be true it becomes scientific law

“I think therefore I am” E. René Descartes—French philosopher and mathematician 1596-1650 1. Truth must be reached through reason 2. Invented geometry 3. He does not doubt that he exists

F. Isaac Newton—English 1642-1727 1. Math Genius 2. 1687 published Principia– a new understanding of the universe 3. Theory of gravity 4. influenced all later scientific thought

II. The Impact of Science A. Thomas Hobbes- 1588-1679-English writer/philosopher 1. Believed that human nature was violent and wicked 2. That without absolute government chaos would occur 3. Government’s purpose was to preserve order and protect people from themselves 4. People gave up their rights to a strong ruler in exchange they gained law and order (social contract)

THOMAS HOBBES

B. John Locke-1632-1704-English 1. The purpose of government was to protect people’s universal rights to life, liberty, and property 2. People have a right to abolish unjust governments that do not uphold their natural rights 3. Thomas Jefferson based much of the Declaration of Independence on Locke’s ideas

JOHN LOCKE

III. The Triumph of Reason A. The 1600’s and 1700’s came to be known as the Age of Enlightenment because of the use of science and reason to illuminate and clarify both the natural world and human behavior B. The thinkers of the Enlightenment who spread these ideas were called philosophes

C. The philosophes shared basic beliefs 1. Believed in Locke’s philosophy 2. Believed in freedom of speech and the individual’s right to liberty 3. Disapproved of religious opposition to new scientific ideas 4. Paris became the center for the Enlightenment

D. Denis Diderot 1713-1784 (French) 1. In 1751 he published the Encyclopedie, 28 volumes that covered everything known about the sciences, technology, and history 2. The Encyclopedie criticized the church and government and praised religious tolerance

E. Montesquieu 1689-1755 (French) 1. Born as Charles Louis de Secondat 2. Inherited a fortune and his title “Baron de Montesquieu” from his uncle 3. Believed in the separation of powers into 3 branches of government a. Executive branch- enforces the law b. Legislative branch- makes the law c. Judicial branch- interprets the law 4. His work greatly influenced the United States Constitution

F. Voltaire ( 1694-1778) 1. Francois Marie Arouet (pen name Voltaire) 2. In 1717 he was arrested for writing a series of satirical verses ridiculing the French government 3. Known for his views on freedom of the press and free speech, “I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.”

VOLTAIRE

G. Beccaria—Italian who fought against abuses of justice

H. Monarchs who attempted to practice some of the political ideas of the Enlightenment were called enlightened despots 1. Frederick II of Prussia 2. Maria Theresa of Austria and her son Joseph II

I. Enlightenment Backlash 1. William Blake, “God is not a mathematical diagram!”

2. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712- 1778) a. Good people are made unhappy and corrupted by their experiences in society. b. Politics and morality should not be separated.

3. Immanuel Kant a. Believed that reason could not explain the existence of God or the limits of knowledge b. His major book was The Critique of Reason c. He asserted that human feelings about religion, beauty, and morality were real even though science and reason could not explain them.