All the discoveries that enlightenment scholars and philosophes made during the scientific revolution changed the way people sees the world in a more accurate way.
By theshocker
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Jan 1, 1543
Vesalius, Galen, and anatomy
"However, Galen had never dissected the body of a human being. Instead, he had studied the anatomy of pigs and other animals. Gale assumed that human anatomy was much the same. Galen's assumptions were proved wrong by Andreas Vesalius...Vesalius dissected human corpses and published his observations." (Pearson, pg. 549) Vesalius looks into Galen's theory of all anatomies being the same. He proved Galen wrong when he dissected a human being and finds it different from other species. -
Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes tests the scientific method
"The work of two important thinkers
of the 1600s, Francis Bacon and René Descartes, helped to advance the new approach...He [Bacon] also criticized the way in which both Aristotle and medieval scholars arrived at their conclusions...Scientists, he wrote, should observe the world and gather information about it first." (Pearson, 547-548) Bacon tests out some old theories and proves them wrong, claiming that scientists should research and discover more about their theories. -
Political Thinking in The Scientific Method
"The Enlightenment started from some key ideas put forth by two English political thinkers of the 1600s, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Both men experienced the political turmoil of England early in that century. However, they came to very different conclusions about government and human nature." (Pearson, 551) Hobbes and Locke were two examples of philosophers who uses the scientific method in government. They both have discoveries that are yet proven to be true by more political thinkers. -
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Galileo's Discovery
"Galileo used his telescope to study the heavens in 1609. Then in 1610, he published a series of newsletters called Starry Messenger, which described his astonishing observations...His description of the moon’s surface shattered Aristotle’s theory that the moon and stars were made of a pure, perfect substance.” (Pearson, 545-546) Galileo discovers the faraway planets in detail and records everything he had saw in space. For example, he proved Aristotle wrong about the moon and the stars. -
Galileo's House Arrest
"Galileo was ordered to turn himself in to the Holy Office to begin trial for holding the belief that the Earth revolves around the Sun... The Church had decided the idea that the Sun moved around the Earth...despite the fact that scientists had known for centuries that the Earth was not the center of the universe..Galileo...spent the rest of his life under house arrest." (History.com staff, 1) Because the Church did not believe Galileo, he was put under house arrest for not agreeing with them. -
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Newton and the law of gravity
"By the mid-1600s, Isaac Newton helped to bring together their breakthroughs under a single theory of motion...Newton was certain that all physical objects were affected equally by the same forces...Newton's great discovery was that the same force ruled the motion of the planets...and all matter on earth and in space." (Pearson, 548-549) Issac Newton's discovery was that the same forces affecting all physical objects ruled the motion of all matter in Earth and space. -
Newton's academic success
"Newton was given a fellowship. In a wonderful display of academic magnanimity, Isaac Barrow resigned his chair in favor of Newton, recognizing that the pupil had surpassed the master, perhaps understanding that Newton had the intellect and insight that only comes around every few generations." (Shuttleworth, 1) In his academic career, Newton did a lot of discoveries and was recognized by Barrow for his great intellect. -
Leeuwenhoek's microscopic discovery
"In the 1670s, a Dutch drapery merchant and amateur scientist named Anton van Leeuwenhoek used a microscope to observe bacteria swimming in tooth scrapings. He also saw red blood cells for the first time. His examination of grubs, maggots, and other such organisms showed that they did not come to life spontaneously, as was previously thought." (Pearson, 549) Leeuwenhoek discovers more about microscopic life with a microscope. He examines the life forms and learns they don't come out of nowhere. -
The Philosophes and the Enlightenment
"The influence of the Scientific Revolution soon spread beyond
the world of science...People began to look for laws governing human behavior as well. They hoped to apply reason and the scientific method to all aspects of society...the ideas of the Scientific Revolution paved the way for a new movement called the Enlightenment." (Pearson, 551) The Scientific Revolution was one of the major causes of the Enlightenment. People are hoping to look for laws to govern them in some way. -
The Enlightenment Impact
"The philosophes mainly lived in the world of ideas. They formed and popularized new theories...However, their theories eventually inspired the American and French revolutions and other revolutionary movements in the 1800s.
Enlightenment thinking produced three other long-term effects that helped shape Western civilization." (Pearson, 555) The discoveries that the philosophes made before and during the enlightenment inspired many revolutions and changed the way people sees the world. -
Works Cited
-History.com Staff. "Galileo Is Convicted of Heresy." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
-Shuttleworth, Martyn. "Isaac Newton." Explorable. N.p., 14 June 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
-"Sites of Encounter in the Medieval World." California History-Social Science Project. Univeristy of California, 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
