Chapter Summary 21.1 & 21.2
Scientific Revolution
Textbook pages 396-401
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, new discoveries in science and mathematics led to a period of rapid advancement in human knowledge called the Scientific Revolution. The scientific revolution was made possible through three major developments: the scientific method, the invention of new and more precise technical instruments, and the widespread distribution of new ideas through the printed word.
Careful observation and accurate measurements were required to solve technical problems. For example, people at the time needed to know the amount of weight that ships could hold. The search for answers to practical questions like that helped to encourage scientific study. The invention of new instruments, such as the telescope and microscope, made fresh scientific discoveries possible. Above all, the printing press helped spread new ideas quickly and easily. Mathematics was also seen as the key to new developments in navigation, military science, and geography. Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton were all great mathematicians who believed that the secrets of nature were written in the language of mathematics. They studied the ideas of the ancient mathematicians. Then these intellectuals sometimes abandoned the old ideas and developed new theories. Their theories became the foundation of the Scientific Revolution.
The Enlightenment
Textbook pgs. 402-407
The Enlightenment was an eighteenth-century philosophical movement of intellectuals. They were very impressed with the achievements of the Scientific Revolution. One of the favorite words of these intellectuals was reason. By this, they meant the use of the scientific method to understand all life. They hoped that by using the scientific method, they could make progress toward creating a better society.Reason, natural law, hope, andprogresswere common words used by thinkers of the Enlightenment. The ideas of the Enlightenment would become a force for reform and even revolution.
Enlightenment philosophers believed in natural rights for all people. These rights included equality before the law; freedom of religious worship; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; and the rights to assemble, own property, and pursue happiness. Before this time, people in Europe generally did not have these rights. John Locke disagreed with the idea that kings have a divine right to rule. He believed in the natural rights of Life. Liberty, and Property. Both Locke and French philosopher Rousseau suggested that a social contract exists between citizens and their government: People allow themselves to be ruled by government in return for social order.Voltaire was well known for his criticism of Christianity. He often challenged the actions of the Church. He had a strong belief in religious toleration and that the universe ran according to its own natural laws. Adam Smith thought that all society would benefit if people were free to follow their own economic self-interest. He promoted the theory of laisser-faire (policy of promoting individual’s decisions instead of government). This meant that the governments shouldn’t make laws to regulate the economy and economies work best when governments do not interfere with private business.