The Scientific Revolution Enlightenment Europe 1550 1800 I

The Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment: Europe, 1550 -1800

I. Scientific Revolution The European Renaissance (1300 -1600) inspired many new ways of thinking and challenged many traditional institutions Set the stage for a rededication to learning and questioning long-held beliefs Scientific Revolution – a new way of thinking about the natural world Began mid-1500 s Based on observation and willingness to question traditionally accepted beliefs World exploration opened Europeans to the possibilities of new truths to be found Scientific method – a logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas Use testing and experimentation to prove a hypothesis

II. New Theories and Observations Heliocentric theory vs. geocentric theory Long-held belief the Earth was center of the universe (geocentric) Scholars such as Copernicus and Galileo used observation to argue Earth and other planets revolved around Sun (Heliocentric) Church denied Heliocentric theory, threatened Galileo with arrest and torture Isaac Newton – developed the law of gravity in late-1600 s Every object in the universe attracts every other object, attraction depends on mass and distance of objects Theories became basis for study of physics

III. The Enlightenment Fields of science were not the only subjects influenced by new ways of thinking Government, religion, economics, education began to be challenged and changed Enlightenment – intellectual movement that stressed reason and rational thought to solve problems Centered in France, but spread throughout Europe Also stressed observation and discussion Views on government and politics Thomas Hobbes argued that a strong ruler and laws are the key to a successful society John Locke argued that people have the natural ability to govern themselves Favored self-government, not absolute power Three natural rights – life, liberty, property CHALLENGE QUESTION!

II. Continued… French philosophers (philosophes) believed in 5 key concepts Reason – truth could be discovered through logical thinking Nature – what was natural was also good and reasonable Happiness – urged people to seek well-being on earth, not just in afterlife Progress – society and humankind could improve Liberty – should be free of tyranny Women and the Enlightenment Many male Enlightenment thinkers still held traditional ideas about women’s roles in society Example: a girls education should be how to be a good wife/mother

II. Continued… Many women influenced status and rights through writing – pioneers in feminism Examples: Mary Astell, Mary Wollstonecraft Wealthy women helped spread ideas by hosting social gatherings, called salons Legacy of Sci. Rev. & Enlightenment Ideas of Enlightenment helped inspire uprisings/revolutions of 18 th and 19 th centuries People looked less to royalty and the church for guidance – relied more on themselves (individualism) Sci. Revolution sped up technological development, medical advances

EXIT TICKET Answer the following questions using complete sentences. 1. What is the difference between the Heliocentric and Geocentric theories? Which one did Galileo support? 2. What are the two main ideas that the Enlightenment stressed and focused on? 3. How were women involved in the Enlightenment? (Describe one way. )

CHALLENGE QUESTION! Use complete sentences to answer today’s question. Think about the political views of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Write a brief statement in support of each scholar’s views. Why is Hobbes correct? Why is Locke correct? If you were president of the United States, which view would you lean towards? BACK