Darwins Tea Party The Scientific Revolution The Scientific

Darwin’s Tea Party: The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution is a revolution in thought which established modern science as a powerful new way to understand reality.

The Scientific Revolution The revolution occurs in three phases: Phase I: 17 th-18 th c: In astronomy, physics & mathematics (heliocentric theory, laws of motion, invention of the calculus) Phase II: 19 th c: In chemistry and biology (atomic theory, evolution by natural selection) Phase III: 19 th-20 th c: In the social sciences

The Scientific Revolution This presentation deals only with Phase I: 17 th-18 th c: In astronomy, physics & mathematics (heliocentric theory, laws of motion, invention of the calculus)

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Before the Scientific Revolution, the accepted view was that the earth was the centre of the universe. l This is called the geocentric theory l

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory The Biblical Conception of the universe 1. Waters above the firmament 2. Storehouses of snows 3. Storehouses for hail 4. Chambers of winds 5. Firmament 6. Sluice / windows of heaven 7. Pillars of the sky 8. Pillars of the earth 9. Fountain of the deep 10. Navel of the earth 11. Waters under the earth 12. Rivers of the nether world A view of the universe as understood in the Old Testament and influenced by the ancient Babylonians. A flat earth supports pillars which support the heavens and the waters above. Below the earth is Sheol – the domain of the dead – and the water below the earth.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory The geocentric theory corresponded to common sense, in that it did appear that the sun, moon and stars revolved around the earth. l Don’t we still say that the sun “rises” and “sets” ever day? l

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory The geocentric theory also seemed correspond to the Biblical view of the universe – at least according to the Catholic Church at the time. l Humans, as the “center” of God’s creation lived on a planet that was also the center of the universe. l

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Even the Protestant Churches maintained the geocentric view as the frontispiece of Martin Luther’s translations shows

l l l Note how God looks down on an earth which is the center of the universe The sun, moon and stars are pictured above the earth The “waters above” the earth are also shown here. In the Genesis flood story these were said to have opened up and flooded the earth.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Equally important, the ancient Greeks also accepted a geocentric theory. l This included Aristotle and the key Greek geographer and astronomer, Ptolemy (c. 100 - c. 178) l

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory One geocentric universe, please – all dressed. Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100 -c. 178)

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Part of Ptolemy’s Almagest in Arabic. This shows the movement of a planet, including retrograde motion, cycles and epicycles

Ptolemy’s Universe Note the earth in the center, with the moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars and Jupiter and Saturn above. Next comes the fixed stars and constellations (signs of the Zodiac). Finally at the very top is the highest heavens, home of the “Primum Mobile” (the First Cause)

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Thus the geocentric theory was supported by religion, by the ancient Greeks and by common sense. l Despite all this, it was overturned and replaced by the heliocentric theory in the modern period. l

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory l One reason was that geocentrically based calculations and predictions of where the stars and planets were, were getting increasingly wrong since Ptolemy’s time!

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I Before The Heliocentric Theory Note how I can do compass points without even looking at my book Finally, in the 15 th century, a Polish astronomer by the name of Copernicus stated that things would be much simpler if only we assumed that the sun, not the earth, was at the center of the universe. Nicholaus Copernicus (1473 -1543). Note the sun like wand with the sun in the center, of course. In his left hand are chopsticks, which he also invented.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory l l In other words, Copernicus proposed the Heliocentric Theory. Chart of the heliocentric theory from Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus (1543).

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory In Italy, another natural philosopher would soon confirm Copernicus heliocentric view of the universe.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642)

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory The book that got Galileo in trouble: Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. In the book, the geocentric theory is presented by a character called Simplicio (“simpleminded”) – not exactly a flattering way to present the Church’s favoured theory!

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory l l Moon drawings by Galileo Lunar cracks (craters), mountains and valleys were disturbing indications that all was not as perfect and incorruptible in the heavenly spheres, as Aristotle’s theory assumed.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Galileo pioneered the use of the telescope for astronomical purposes.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Galileo pioneered the experimental method Galileo’s famous experiment supposedly made from the leaning tower of Pisa. Here two balls of different mass are dropped at the same time; which will land first? The next, even more famous experiment, compares the fall of 1 kilo of feathers and 1 kilo of bricks; which will land first?

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Galileo spacecraft named after guess who and crashed into Jupiter in 1995.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Galileo got in trouble with the Catholic Church for backing the heliocentric theory.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory Sign here and you get a free I-pod! Galileo’s trial according to a 19 th century artist

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Heliocentric Theory l Galileo was placed under house arrest for supporting the heliocentric theory but that did not stop the development of science.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion Yes, this is my natural hair colour In England another great scientist arose who confirmed heliocentrism and showed how powerful and accurate the new science could be.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion Legend has it that Newton came up with the idea of gravity after an apple fell on his head

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion But besides gravity, Newton figured out the laws of motion for all bodies on the earth or in space. Newton’s most famous book, The Principia otherwise known as the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (published 1707)

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion 1. A body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest unless moved by an external force. 2. A body moved by an external force will accelerate in the same direction as that force and in inverse proportion to the mass of that force. 3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion Three simple laws (+ gravity) explains an infinite number of facts in the universe, from…

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion …the motion of planets around the sun…

Or the motion of the moon around the earth

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion To the motion of projectiles of all sorts (inlcuding missiles and canonballs).

Including the Galileo spacecraft and all other satellites and spaceships…

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion To the motion of the tides…

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion And the fall of any object on the earth!

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion No wonder Newton is one of history’s greatest scientists! He showed that a good scientific theory is simple but explains a heck of a lot!

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion And like all the greatest scientists, Newton was inspired to find out about the “ocean of truth” around us by the ultimate mystery…

The Scientific Revolution: Phase I The Laws of Motion To myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Some reacted enthusiastically to the new science, seeing it as a beacon of truth and certainty in an uncertain world.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Alexander Pope (1688 -1744) said: “… Nature’s laws lay hid in night; God said, Let Newton be! And all was Light. ”

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Some believed Newton had confirmed that the universe worked according to mechanical principles, like a machine. The Orloj of Prague, Czech Republic. Was the mechanical view of the universe inspired by these mechanical clocks?

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution The Orrery, a mechanical model of the solar system, was a popular device to exhibit the relative size and motion of the heavenly bodies. From: The Young Gentleman's and Lady's Philosophy (London, 1755) – General Research Division, NYPL New York Public Library website

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Some philosophers really embraced the mechanical metaphor, claiming that even animals are machines. Rene Descartes (1596 -1650) coined the famous philosophical phrase “I think therefore I am”.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Descartes includes the human body too. Descartes, Treatise on Man Descartes here claims that the human body is a machine”.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Another philosopher enthusiastic about the advancement of Science was Francis Bacon (1561 -1626) Bacon was famous for his wise sayings like “Knowledge is power”. Here he is shown holding a Hydro Bill.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution l l Bacon compared the Scientific Revolution to the “discovery” of America – both are about the discovery of new worlds. In the frontispiece to his book Novum Organum, ships are shown sailing past the mythological “pillars of Hercules”, traditional limits of the known world. For Bacon this is what science was doing too in the realm of thought.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Bacon’s path to scientific knowledge was by induction: observation of individual facts to arrive at general conclusions. l Descartes’ path to scientific knowledge was by deduction: reason from general ideas to arrive at particular facts. l

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Both Bacon and Descartes were influenced by the mechanical view of the universe. l But both made an exception for the human mind or soul – which, they claimed was not mechanical. l

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution l l De la Mettrie with weird hat The philosopher de la Mettrie (1709 -51), however, made no exceptions to the mechanical view. Humans also were machines for him.

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution William Blake’s Newton. * Blake wasn’t all that crazy about the new scientific view of reality. He prayed "May God us keep From single vision, and Newton's sleep!" (i. e. , the “sleep of reason which breeds monsters”, says Blake)

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution More art from Blake. This is called Urizen (i. e. , “your reason”) creating the world. Note the compass – symbol of the Scientific Revolution and the rational approach to reality Urizen is the embodiment of all that Blake hated - definition, restriction, measurement, materialism

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution Blake’s opposition to science was especially sharp as he lived in a time when science wasn’t just changing people’s ideas…

The Scientific Revolution: Reactions to the Scientific Revolution But people’s very lives…

The Scientific Revolution Written & Directed by Gabriel Tordjman Starring:

The Scientific Revolution l l l The Bible Ptolemy (The ancient Greek geographer & astronomer) (1 st c. AD) The Catholic Church (1 st c AD – now) Martin Luther (leader of Protestantism) (1483 -1546 ) Nicholas Copernicus (heliocentric theory scientist) (1473 -1543) Galileo Galilei (heliocentric theory and experimental scientist, telescope perfector (1564 -1642) Isaac Newton (laws of gravity and laws of motion) (1642 -1727) Rene Descartes (rationalism and dualism) (1596 -1650) Francis Bacon (philosopher of induction) (1561 -1626) Alexander Pope (poet) (1688 -1744) William Blake (artist & poet) (1757 -1827)

The Scientific Revolution The End?