Intellectual Revolutions: Science, Technology & Society PDF

Prelim – Topic 2 Intellectual Revolutions that Defined Society Science, Technology and Society STSN11G Learning Outcomes 1. Articulate ways by which society is transformed by science and technology 2. Appreciate the contributions of different scientists 3. Identify the paradigm shifts in history...

Prelim – Topic 2 Intellectual Revolutions that Defined Society Science, Technology and Society STSN11G Learning Outcomes 1. Articulate ways by which society is transformed by science and technology 2. Appreciate the contributions of different scientists 3. Identify the paradigm shifts in history  Copernican Revolution Named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the Copernican Revolution shifted the paradigm from Ptolemaic geocentric model, the Earth as center of the universe, to heliocentric model, the Sun as the center of the Solar System. Ptolemy’s model of the heavens: Claudius Ptolemy was a Greco-Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, geographer and astrologer during about 150 AD.. He wrote the Almagest, a book on astronomy and star catalogue. Among the contents of Almagest include: The earth is the center of the universe and does not move from its position. There are two types of motion in the heavens: 1. The stars moving steadily, 2. The sun, moon and planets moving in a more complex way The heavens move like a sphere, the earth and heavenly bodies are spheres. The Almagest’s Universe Geocentric model by Ptolemy and Heliocentric model Copernicus Tycho Brahe (1526 – 1601), a Danish nobleman was one of the astronomers during that time. He made a more accurate observations than those made by Copernicus. He formulated geoheliocentrism or the Tychonic system, where the Sun moved about the Earth while the planets orbited the Sun. Tycho’s observations on heavenly bodies discredit the model of Aristotle regarding the heavenly bodies. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher during the period in Ancient Greece and authored several discussions in science, arts, psychology, economics and politics. The Aristotelian theory said that only uniform circular motion on solid spheres existed in a region where Tycho observed a great comet in the sky that passed through the region of the planets. Tycho and his team of astronomers compiled several observations that are more accurate than the findings of his predecessors. Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630), a German astronomer, proved with mathematical calculations that planets move in elliptical orbit. He formulated the Laws of Planetary Motion. His findings were among the foundations of Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. He became an assistant of Tycho Brahe. Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642) was an Italian scientist (physicist, astronomer, engineer). He invented the telescope for observing the heavenly bodies. His observations proved the heliocentric model. When Galileo published his findings on heliocentrism, together with the work of Copernicus, the Catholic Church brand him as heretic. During that time, the accepted theories were very hard to change. Challenging the findings of early scientists was not easy. To question them is to question the Church. Among his work in physics was the discovery of relations among velocity, distance and acceleration using the scientific approach. Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer and theologian. He was accepted as the most influential scientist of all time and a key figure of Scientific Revolution. He formulated the laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. He laid the foundations of classical mechanics and modern optics, identifying white light composition. He invented calculus and used mathematics to prove Kepler’s Laws of Planetary motion.  Darwinian Revolution The Darwinian Revolution made a great paradigm shift on how living organisms come into existence. The belief that men and all living things were created by Divine Being was never questioned by any scientists until Charles Darwin presented his theory on the origin of species. His theory on evolution made him the most influencial and intellectual scientist during that time. Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) was an English naturalist, biologist and geologist. His is known for his theory of evolution. He made a thorough study, journeyed on many places in the world allowing him to observe the diversity of species, made hundreds of experiments of his theories for 20 years and found repeatable results. According to him, all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors. He also introduced the branching pattern of evolution which resulted from a process called natural selection. This process was formulated in Darwin’s work, published in 1859 “On the Origin of Species”. The process of natural selection says that organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Organisms living in different environment mutates to survive their new environment. It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.  Freudian Revolution Before, psychology was classified under philosophy, under art rather than science. The Freudian Revolution introduced a new concept that affects the way people think, creating a paradigm shift, the Theory of Psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a therapeutic technique for people with emotional difficulties by talking to the patient, with the goal of bringing unconscious material into consciousness. It is general theory of human behavior and experience. 3 Fundamental Structures of Human Mind Id is the quality of being unconscious and contains everything that is inherited, present at birth and the instincts. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety. Ego is the quality of being conscious and is responsible for controlling the demands of the id. It is responsible for dealing with reality, which strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The ego will allow the behavior of delayed gratification. Superego represents the influence of others. According to Freud, superego begins to manifest at the age of five. It an individual’s sense of right and wrong. It gives guidelines for making judgements. Its two parts are 1. Conscience. Things that are viewed as bad by parents or society leads to remorse and feeling of guilt; 2. Ego deal. It includes rules and standards for behaviors that the ego aspires.