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Jan 1, 1543
Nicholaus Copernicus
Nicholaus Copernicus was the first to propose a heliocentric model of the universe. His theory was rejected because most scientific information was based on religious teachings. Experts believed if Earth was not the center of the universe like Ptolemy said, all knowledge about humans could be questioned. -
Period: Jan 1, 1543 to
Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution
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Jan 1, 1575
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer, was able to calculate the orbits of the planets revolving around the sun. He used Tycho Brahe's data on the movements of the stars. He also, confirmed the theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus that the planets orbit in ellipses, or oval-shaped orbits. -
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei was a Italian astronomer who used the first telescope to observe the moons of Jupiter moving. He had confirmed Copernicus' theory of helio-centric motion. However, this went against the way of the church. Galileo was forced to comply but, he still believed in his dicovery. -
Scientific Method
The scientific method is a step-by-step process that required scientists to accurately measure data. First, they proposed a hypothesis. Then, they tested the hypothesis. After that, observations were turned into scientific law. Next, they came to a conclusion. Many repeated many times before confiming their findings. -
Bacon and Descartes
Sir Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes both focused on obtaining knowledge after the new scientifc method had struck a sort of revolution.Bacon believed that obsevations and experimentation was the best way to gain knowledge while descartes thought human reasoning could lead him towards understaning. -
William Harvey
William Harvey became the first person to describe how blood was circulated through the human body. He explained how the heart pumped blood throught our veins and arteries. -
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes wrote a book called "Leviathan" in which he talks about how people are naturally mean and cruel so a strict set of laws is required. He believed people shuld enter into a social comtract to impose order and compel obedience -
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was able to ddistinguish individual elements and chemical compounds. He was also able to explain the effect of temperature and pressure on gases. -
John Locke
John Locke thoght that people were naturally good hearted and believed in natural rights, or rights that everyone gets when they are born. They were the right to life, liberty and property. In Locke's book "Two Treatises of Government," Locke said that the best form of governments was one that has limited power and is accepted by it's citizens. He also thought that people had the natural right to overthrow their governmentif the government fails to do it's job. -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton was able to figure out that there is a force that pulls not only us towards the center of the earth, but also causes the planets to orbit around the sun. he called it gravity. Newton later published the book "Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy." which explains the laws of gravity. Many of Newtons laws still have an affect on the world today. -
Voltaire
Voltaire was a philosopher who spoke out against inequality, injustice, superstition, slave trading, and prejudice.In addition, his views offended the French government and the catholic church so he was imprisioned and then exiled. His writings were burned, but he still spoke out after he was exiled. -
Baron de Montesquieu
Montesquieu believed in a democratic government and thought that the best way to secure libery was to have three seprate branches of government that have a system of checks and balances to keep eachother from getting too powerful. This system is in the United States government today. We have three branches: Legestlative, Judicial, and Executive. Plus, we have the checks and balances system between the three. -
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot wrote a 28-volume encyclopedia. Over 20,000 copies of the huge encylcopedia were bought and caused a huge controversey. The French government thought it went against public morals and the pope threatend to excommunicate Roman Catholics who purchased the book.It contained articles from thinkers of the day and denounced slavery, and promoted the freedom of expression. Diderot also included new ideas on the topics of govrnment, religion, and philosophy. -
Enlightened Despots
The discussions of Enlightenment gave rulers the idea of enlightening their citizens. Many decided to use ideas from Enlightenment to promote social or political change. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau believed that people were basically good, but were corrupted by society. He wrote the "Social Contract" and described how individual interests should be subordinate to the needs of the community as a whole.His works affected thinkers for over 200 years. -
Adam Smith
Adam Smith wrote a very influential book called "The Wealth of Nations." In his book he agreed with laissez faire and tried to show how suppy and demand worked. His law of suppy and demand would help many goverments after the industial revolution. -
Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire was a new economic thinking created by physiocrats, who were people who focused their work on economic reforms. It allowed businesses to operate with litte or no government interference. Laissez Faire was a counter to mercantism which made the government regulate the economy to have a favorable amount of trade. -
Utilitarians
Utilitarians believed that the goal of society should be to have happiness for the greatest number. They believed all actions and laws should be judged by their "utility." So basically, if someone was deathly ill and was not able to do any work, they would be kicked out of the community because it improved the happiness of the greatest number. -
Robert Owens
Robert Owens built a factory in New Lanark and then built houses for for hs workers and a school for kids. He had created a model community that showed that employees could be treated well and that the place where you live can shape your character. -
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was a German philosopher who thought that a utopia was impossible and created the idea of socialism. Also, Marx published "The Communist Manifesto." In the book, Marx discussed how rivalries between workig classes have always been issues. Marxism would stop the rivalries by sharing wealth and power equally.
