Revolutionary Shifts

The Renaissance and the Emergence of Modern Science

• The Renaissance marked a significant shift in European thought, as scholars began to challenge traditional ways of thinking about God and salvation.

The Dawn of Scientific Inquiry

• Before 1500, scholars generally decided what was true or false through faith and authority, rather than empirical evidence.
• The Renaissance revolution in European thought permanently changed how people viewed the physical world.

Key Innovations and Discoveries

• The invention of the printing press helped spread challenging ideas among Europe's thinkers during the Renaissance.
• The Age of Exploration fueled a great deal of scientific research.

Astronomy and Planetary Motion

• A small group of scholars began to question the geocentric theory in the field of astronomy.
• Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish cleric and astronomer, published his findings on planetary motion in 1543.
• Tycho Brahe carefully recorded the movements of the planets for many years, producing accurate data based on his observations.
• Johannes Kepler concluded that certain mathematical laws govern planetary motion, including the fact that planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits.

Galileo's Contributions

• Galileo's discoveries included the observation of four moons orbiting Jupiter and the phases of Venus, providing evidence for the Copernican heliocentric model.
• Galileo's findings frightened Catholic and Protestant leaders, who saw them as a threat to their authority.
• After publishing Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo was placed under house arrest by the Catholic Church.

The Scientific Method

• Francis Bacon developed the scientific method, which involves empirical observation, experimentation, and the formulation of hypotheses.
• The first step of the scientific method is to formulate a hypothesis based on observation.

Notable Figures

• Nicolaus Copernicus is credited with beginning the Scientific Revolution with his heliocentric theory.
• Francis Bacon and René Descartes helped advance the new scientific approach in the 1600s.
• René Descartes is credited with the famous quote, "I think, therefore I am."
• Kepler, Galileo, and Isaac Newton made significant contributions to astronomy and physics.

Isaac Newton

• Newton consolidated the breakthroughs of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo into a single theory of motion.
• Newton attended Trinity College, Cambridge University.
• Newton's great discovery was the law of universal gravitation, which explains the motion of celestial bodies.
• Newton believed that the creator of the universe was a benevolent being who designed the universe according to mathematical principles.

Other Key Figures

• Evangelista Torricelli developed the first mercury barometer.
• Gabriel Fahrenheit made the first thermometer to use mercury in glass.
• Andreas Vesalius proved Galen's assumptions wrong by dissecting human corpses.
• Antoine Lavoisier is considered the founder of modern chemistry.
• Edward Jenner used cowpox to produce the world's first vaccination, discovering that inoculation with germs from cowpox could provide immunity to smallpox.