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History of Science
History of Science
Brief History of Modern Science
• Discovery A new method of acquiring knowledge was
invented by a series of European thinkers from 1550 to
1700. Among these thinkers are Galileo, Descartes,
Kepler, and Newton
• Definition of Science A special method and
knowledge executed by practitioners of science called
scientists.
Meaning of Science
• Science is practiced by specially trained people with a
specific world view. Scientists try to be objective, non
sentimental, unemotional, honest, and unbiased
• Scientists work in laboratories where conditions are
carefully controlled.
• Scientists report their findings in peerreviewed journals to
other scientists
• Scientists do not claim more than what they can prove
External World
• Science deals with things or objects in the external
world. External world is anything that can be
measured and described in mathematical terms
• The external world the scientist believes follows
rules of mathematics.
• The external world contains solar systems,
galaxies, quanta, quarks, quasars, four forces, six
lepton, six lepton and six hadrons
Science Language
• Scientists describe the results of controlled
experiments in a specialized language and/or in
mathematics.
• Is the external world understandable because our
brains conform to the external world or because
the external world is essentially mathematical in
nature as is the human mind?
Philosophical Foundations of Science
Originated in the 17th century
• Science removed animism as a physical
explanation. Greek philosophers thought
movement was a sign of life. Planets were moved
by angels. Newton’s 1st law of motion changed
this attitude.
• Science changed man’s position from the center of
the universe to its periphery. Man’s place in the
universe was seen as minor.
• Scientific achievement revived human pride in
place of an obsession with sin.
Aristotelian Science
Theory of Matter
Matter stuff out of which things are made
In sublunary world (below the moon) there
are four elements or essences:
earth, water, air, and fire.
These four elements never found pure always mixed.
Heavy things made out of earth
Light things made mix of water,air, and fire
Aristotelian Science
• Above sun, planets are stars imbedded in
the crystalline sphere
• The crystalline sphere made out of pure
quintessence ( 5th essence)
• Different laws pertain to the sublunary
world than to the world above the moon
Aristotelian Science
• Motion
• Natural state of all sublunary things is rest
• All objects seek rest
• Earth, Air, and water seek down for rest
• Fire seek rest upward
• Bodies seek the grave, the souls seek
heaven
Aristotelian Science
Motion
• Two kinds of motion violent and natural
• Things move because they’re pulled or pushed
• Sun, planets, and stars move in uniform, circular
motion
• Circles are ideal and circular motion is an aspect
of quintessence.
• Earth is at center of Universe
Aristotelian Science
• Violent Motion
• A projectile exhibits violent motion
• Question: why does an object keep moving
after leaving the bow or hand?
• Answer: air moves from the front of the
object to the back and pushes the object
along.
Aristotelian Science
Violent Motion
Archimedes (287-212
BCE )
Sicilian geometrician who
calculated an accurate value for
π, demonstrated the
relationship between the
volume of spheres and
cylinders, discovered methods
for determining the center of
gravity of plane figures, and
provided a foundation for the
science of hydrostatics.
Archimedes also invented many
ingenious machines, including a
pump for raising water,
effective levers and compound
pulleys, and a mechanical
planetarium. He died defending
Syracuse against a Roman
siege during the second Punic
war.
Ptolemy & Epicycles
more accurate measurement required more
epicycles
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Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274 )
• William of Ockham
• (1285-1349 )English philosopher
who defended the logic, physics,
and metaphysics of Aristotle in
Summa Logicae (The Whole of Logic
) (1328) vol. 1 { at Amazon.com }
and vol. 2 { at Amazon.com } and
the Dialogus . An extreme
nominalist , Ockham held that
general terms are signs that
indefinitely signify discrete (though
similar) particulars. Ockham is best
known for his statement of the law
of parsimony as the ontological
principle often called Ockham's
Razor : " Frustra fit per plura quod
potest fieri per pauciora " ["It is
pointless to do with more what can
be done with less"]. Thus, according
to Ockham, we ought never to
postulate the reality of any entity
unless it is logically necessary to do
so.
Copernicus b. 1473 Poland
• Polish astronomer who developed the theory that
the earth is a moving planet. In Copernicus's time,
most astronomers accepted the theory the Greek
astronomer Ptolemy had formulated nearly 1,400
years earlier.
• Some astronomers before Ptolemy had suggested
that the earth did in fact move. Copernicus
decided that the simplest and most systematic
explanation of heavenly motion required that
every planet, including the earth, revolve around
the sun. The earth also had to spin around its axis
once every day. The earth's motion affects what
people see in the heavens, so real motions must be
separated from apparent ones.
• Copernicus skillfully applied this idea in his
masterpiece, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly
Spheres (1543). In this book, he demonstrated
how the earth's motion could be used to explain
the movements of other heavenly bodies.
Copernicus could not prove his theory, but his
explanation of heavenly motion was
mathematically strong and was less complicated
than Ptolemy's theory. By the early 1600's, such
astronomers as Galileo in Italy and Johannes
Kepler in Germany began to develop the physics
that would prove Copernicus' theory correct.
A 1543 volume by
Copernicus
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reserved. World Book illustration by Rob Wood
Tycho Brahe b. 1546
• Danish astronomer. Brahe developed a systematic approach for observing the planets and stars. He
stressed the importance of making such observations on a regular basis. The telescope had not yet
been invented, and so Brahe used his eyesight and such instruments as astrolabes and quadrants to
estimate the positions of celestial objects. His observations were far more precise than those of any
earlier astronomer.
• Brahe's observations of planetary motion revealed that the tables then in use to predict the positions
of the planets were inaccurate. His sighting of a supernova (type of exploding star) in 1572 helped
disprove the ancient idea that no change could occur in the heavens beyond the orbit of the moon.
• Like many astronomers of his time, Brahe refused to accept the Copernican theory of the solar
system. According to this theory, the earth and the other planets move around the sun. Brahe
reasoned that if the earth revolved around the sun, he should have been able to measure changes in
the positions of the stars resulting from the earth's movement. He did not realize that such changes
were too small for his instruments to detect. However, Brahe's observational data later enabled
Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer and mathematician, to confirm the Copernican theory.
• Brahe was born in Knudstrup (then a Danish city but now in Sweden), near Malmo. As a member of
the nobility, he attended universities in Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Brahe built an
elaborate observatory on the island of Hven (now called Ven), where he made many of his
observations.
Tycho Brahe b. 1546
• Danish astronomer. Brahe developed a
systematic approach for observing the planets
and stars. He stressed the importance of
making such observations on a regular basis.
The telescope had not yet been invented, and
so Brahe used his eyesight and such
instruments as astrolabes and quadrants to
estimate the positions of celestial objects. His
observations were far more precise than those
of any earlier astronomer.
• Brahe's observations of planetary motion
revealed that the tables then in use to predict
the positions of the planets were inaccurate.
His sighting of a supernova (type of
exploding star) in 1572 helped disprove the
ancient idea that no change could occur in the
heavens beyond the orbit of the moon.
Tycho Brahe b. 1546
• Like many astronomers of his time, Brahe
refused to accept the Copernican theory of
the solar system. According to this theory,
the earth and the other planets move around
the sun. Brahe reasoned that if the earth
revolved around the sun, he should have been
able to measure changes in the positions of
the stars resulting from the earth's movement.
He did not realize that such changes were too
small for his instruments to detect. However,
Brahe's observational data later enabled
Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer and
mathematician, to confirm the Copernican
theory.
• Brahe was born in Knudstrup (then a Danish
city but now in Sweden), near Malmo. As a
member of the nobility, he attended
universities in Denmark, Germany, and
Switzerland. Brahe built an elaborate
observatory on the island of Hven (now
called Ven), where he made many of his
observations.
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
• Discovered three laws of planetary motion.
• Newton later used Kepler's three laws to arrive at the principle of universal gravitation
• Kepler's laws are:
(1) Every planet follows an ovalshaped path, or orbit, around the sun, called an ellipse. The sun is
located at one focus of the elliptical orbit.
(2) An imaginary line from the center of the sun to the center of a planet sweeps out the same area in
a given time. This means that planets move faster when they are closer to the sun.
(3) The time taken by a planet to make one complete trip around the sun is its period. The squares of
the periods of two planets are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the sun.
• Kepler formed an association with Tycho Brahe, which shaped the rest of his life.
His most significant discoveries were trying to find an orbit to fit all Brahe's observations of the
planet Mars. Earlier astronomers thought a planet's orbit was a circle or a combination of circles.
However, Kepler could not find a circular arrangement to agree with Brahe's observations. He
realized that the orbit could not be circular and resorted to an ellipse in his calculations. The ellipse
worked, and Kepler destroyed a belief that was more than 2,000 years old.
• Kepler was the first astronomer to openly uphold the theories of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus
Copernicus.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
• Discovered three laws of planetary motion.
• Newton later used Kepler's three laws to
arrive at the principle of universal gravitation
• Kepler's laws are:
(1) Every planet follows an ovalshaped path,
or orbit, around the sun, called an ellipse.
The sun is located at one focus of the
elliptical orbit.
(2) An imaginary line from the center of the
sun to the center of a planet sweeps out the
same area in a given time. This means that
planets move faster when they are closer to
the sun.
(3) The time taken by a planet to make one
complete trip around the sun is its period.
The squares of the periods of two planets are
proportional to the cubes of their mean
distances from the sun.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
• Kepler formed an association with Tycho
Brahe, which shaped the rest of his life.
His most significant discoveries trying to
find an orbit to fit all Brahe's observations of
the planet Mars. Earlier astronomers thought
a planet's orbit was a circle or a combination
of circles. However, Kepler could not find a
circular arrangement to agree with Brahe's
observations. He realized that the orbit could
not be circular and resorted to an ellipse in
his calculations. The ellipse worked, and
Kepler destroyed a belief that was more than
2,000 years old.
• Kepler was the first astronomer to openly
uphold the theories of the Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
FIRST LAW
• The orbits of the planets are
ellipses, with the Sun at one
focus of the ellipse.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
SECOND LAW
• The line joining the planet to
the Sun sweeps out equal
areas in equal times as the
planet travels around the el
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
THIRD LAW
• The ratio of the squares of
the revolutionary periods for
two planets is equal to the
ratio of the cubes of their
semi-major axes:
Paracelsus (Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus
von Hohenheim) ( 1493-1541 )
• An Irish scientist considered the founder of modern chemistry. He helped establish the
experimental method in chemistry and physics.
• Boyle is best known for his experiments on gases that led to the formulation of Boyle's
law (see GAS (Gas laws)). This law says the volume of a gas at constant temperature
varies inversely to the pressure applied to the gas. Boyle also helped improve the air
pump, and with it he investigated the nature of vacuums.
• Boyle introduced many new methods for determining the identity and chemical
composition of substances. He disproved the theory that air, earth, fire, and water were
the basic elements of all matter. Boyle argued that all basic physical properties were due
to the motion of atoms, which he called "corpuscles."
• Boyle lived in England for most of his life. He was a founding member of the Royal
Society of London, one of the world's foremost scientific organizations. Boyle described
his experiments in many books. He was born at Lismore Castle, Ireland.
Robert Boyle (16271691)
Galileo Galilei 1564 1657
Italian astronomer and physicist, has been called the
founder of modern experimental science. Galileo made the
first effective use of the refracting telescope to discover
important new facts about astronomy. He also discovered
the law of falling bodies as well as the law of the
pendulum. Galileo designed a variety of scientific
instruments. He also developed and improved the
refracting telescope, though he did not invent it.
Galileo Galilei
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Astronomy and Kinematics
• In 1610 Galileo made observations of sunspots and of
Venus, noting that the planet progresses through phases
similar to those of the moon. This fact confirmed his
doubts about Ptolemaic astronomy and deepened his
conviction of the truth of Copernicus' theory that the earth
and planets revolve around the sun. Publication of these
findings, starting in 1610, brought him wide renown.
Astronomy and Kinematics
• Galileo also pursued research on motionespecially the
motion of freely falling bodies. The problem, as he saw it,
was that the Aristotelian theory of motion, which referred
all motion to a stationary earth at the center of the
universe, made it impossible to believe the earth actually
moves. Galileo went to work to develop a theory of motion
consistent with a moving earth.
Galileo and Inertia
• http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/mechanics
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Book, Inc., 233 N. Michigan Avenue,
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rights reserved. © J. M. Charles,
Photo Researchers
Astronomy and Kinematics
• Among the most important results of this search were the
law of the pendulum and the law of freely falling bodies.
Galileo observed that pendulums of equal length swing at
the same rate whether their arcs are large or small. Modern
measuring instruments show that the rate is actually
somewhat greater if the arc is large. Galileo's law of falling
bodies states that all objects fall at the same speed,
regardless of their mass; and that, as they fall, the speed of
their descent increases uniformly.
Pendulum
The Italian physicist Galileo discovered the laws of the pendulum. He
noticed that a hanging lamp would swing with an almost constant
period, whether the arc was large or small. He believed that a
pendulum could regulate the movements of clocks. The Dutch
scientist Christiaan Huygens patented the first pendulum clock in
1657. Galileo's observations are still correct as long as the pendulum's
swing is small. But modern measuring instruments have shown that
the period of a pendulum increases when it has a large swing.
Pendulum
• The Simple
Pendulum
• If a pendulum of mass m attached to a
string of length L is displaced by an
angle from the vertical, it experiences a
net restoring force due to gravity:
• In this small angle approximation, the
amplitude of the pendulum has no effect
on the period. This is what makes
pendulums such good time keepers. As
they inevitably lose energy due to
frictional forces, their amplitude
decreases, but the period remains
constant.
Pendulum
Figure showing the more intense
scattering of blue light by the
atmosphere relative to red light.
Rayleigh scattering is more dramatic after
sunset. This picture was taken about one hour
after sunset at 500m altitude, looking at the
horizon where the sun had set.
Rayleigh scattering causes the blue hue of the
daytime sky and the reddening of the sun at
sunset
Rene’ Descartes
• Gilbert's most important discoveries in the field of magnetism were the laws
of attraction and repulsion, magnetic dip, and the properties of loadstones.
Gilbert based his findings on observation and practical experiments. This
practice differed greatly from that of most of the scientists of his time, who
developed only abstract theories, unsupported by experiments.
• Gilbert was born in Colchester, in Essex, England, and was educated at St.
John's College, Cambridge. He was physician to Queen Elizabeth I and
attended her during her last illness. Gilbert died on Nov. 30, 1603.
William Harvey (15781657)
• An English physician who became
famous for his discovery of how
blood circulates in mammals,
including human beings. He
described his discovery in An
Anatomical Study of the Motion of
the Heart and of the Blood in
Animals (1628). This work became
the basis for all modern research on
the heart and blood vessels.
Bacon, Francis (15611626)
• English philosopher, essayist, jurist, and statesman. He was one of the earliest and most
influential supporters of empirical (experimental) science and helped develop the
scientific method of solving problems.
• Bacon believed all previous claims to knowledge, particularly of medieval science, were
doubtful because they were based on poor logic. He believed the mind makes hasty
generalizations, which prevent the attainment of knowledge. But he also believed that
the mind could discover truths that would enable humanity to conquer disease, poverty,
and war by gaining power over nature. To discover truths, the human mind must rid
itself of four prejudices. Bacon called these prejudices Idols of the Mind.
• Bacon believed the mind could attain truth if it followed the inductive method of
investigation. He developed four steps of doing so: (1) listing all known cases in which a
phenomenon occurs; (2) listing similar cases where the phenomenon does not occur; (3)
listing the cases in which the phenomenon occurs in differing degrees; and (4)
examination of the three lists. These steps would lead to the cause of a phenomenon.
• Bacon suggested the use of preliminary hypotheses (assumptions) to aid scientific
investigation. His treatment of hypothesis is still a subject of study. Bacon also wrote an
unfinished romance called New Atlantis (published in 1627, after his death). The book
describes an imaginary island where the inhabitants dedicate themselves to the study of
science.
Bacon, Francis (15611626)
• Four very significant stumblingblocks in the way of
grasping the truth, which hinder every man (sic)
however learned, and scarcely allow anyone to win a
clear title to wisdom, namely: the example of weak and
unworthy authority, longstanding custom, the feeling of
the ignorant crowd, and the hiding of our own ignorance
while making a display of our apparent knowledge.
Isaac Newton 1642 1727
• Proposed three laws of mechanics:
1. Inertia A body continues to move in a straight line unless acted upon by a force
2. F = ma Acceleration is proportional to the applied force. As long as the force is
applied the velocity increases.
3. For every action there is a reaction
• Explained motion of planets and moon
• Proposed law of universal gravitation
• Explained tides
• Assumed laws on Earth were same as in the heavens
• Discovered light composed of different color
• Invented reflector telescope
Newton’s Rules of Reasoning
• Use no more hypothesis than needed a restatement of Ockham’s Razor
• Apply same cause to same effect
• Properties on earth are same as properties (laws) in other parts of universe
• Offer hypotheses supported only by experiment
• “ we are to look upon propositions inferred by general induction from
phenomena as accurately or very nearly true, not withstanding any contrary
hypothesis that may be imagined till such time as other phenomena occur by
which they may either be made more accurate or liable to exception
Antoine Lavoisier 1743 1794
Carolus Linnaeus
Systema Naturae 1758
THE LINNEAN HIERARCHY FOR
HUMANS
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Primates
Family Hominidae
Genus Homo
Species Homo sapiens
Early Ideas about Evolution
Speices changes through time in
Catastrophism
response to environment Heritable characteristics
Comte de Buffon
(Georges Louis Leclerc)
Baron Cuvier
17071788 JeanBaptiste Lamarck
17691832
Environment, but 17441829
other mechanisms too
Erasmus Darwin
17311802
Understanding the Depth of Time
James Hutton Charles Lyell
17261797 1797 1875
Alexander Von Humboldt
Thomas Malthus
17661834
Charles Darwin & Alfred Wallace
How did they arrive at the same conclusions?
Darwin and Wallace Volumes
Heat Engines, Heat Pumps, and Refrigerators
Getting something useful from heat
Michael Faraday, b. Sept. 22, 1791 d. Aug. 25, 1867
• Maxwell based his work on electricity and magnetism on the discoveries of the English
physicist Michael Faraday. In 1864, Maxwell combined his ideas with those of Faraday
and certain other scientists and formed a mathematical theory that describes the
relationship between electric and magnetic fields. Both these fields exert forces on
electrically charged objects. Maxwell showed that waves in combined electric and
magnetic fields, called electromagnetic waves, travel at the speed of light. In fact,
Maxwell argued that light itself consists of electromagnetic waves. In the late 1880's, the
German physicist Heinrich R. Hertz conducted experiments that confirmed Maxwell's
theory.
• Maxwell's equations indicate that light moves at a particular speed, represented by the
letter c. The value of c is now known to be 186,282 miles (299,792 kilometers) per
second. Maxwell assumed that c was the speed of light relative to the ether. According to
this assumption, light would travel faster or slower than c in an inertial frame moving
relative to the ether.
Michelson and Morley
• Was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his theory of
relativity, which he first advanced when he was only 26. He also made many other
contributions to science.
• Relativity. Einstein's relativity theory revolutionized scientific thought with new
conceptions of time, space, mass, motion, and gravitation. He treated matter and energy
as exchangeable, not distinct. In so doing, he laid the basis for controlling the release of
energy from the atom.
• Thus, Einstein was one of the fathers of the nuclear age. Einstein's famous equation, E
equals m times csquared (energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared),
became a foundation stone in the development of nuclear energy. Einstein developed his
theory through deep philosophical thought and through complex mathematical
reasoning. The great scientist was once reported to have said that only a dozen people in
the world could understand his theory. However, Einstein always denied this report.
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1900 Quantum nature of energy • 1913 Leavitt discovers
• 1903 First motorized airplane • 1913Bohr describes atomic
flew structure
• 1915 General theory of relativity
• Special theory of relativity
published • 1922 Banting and Best isolate
insulin
• 1907Radiometric dating finds • 1924 Hubble identifies new galaxy
earth 2.2 billion years old
• 1926 Television developed
• Ehrlich finds cure for syphilis • 1927 Big bang theory introduced
• 1912 Leavitt discovers • 1927 Heisenberg state uncertainty
Cepheid's period and principle
luminosity
• 1912 Wegener proposes
continental drift
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1928 Fleming discovers penicillin • 1947 Libby introduces C14 dating
• 1929 Hubble finds universe • 1947 Transistor invented
expanding • 1953 Salk polio vaccine
• 1931 Lawrence invents cyclotron • 1953 Miller makes amino acids in
laboratory
• 1935 Nylon invented
• 1953 MidAtlantic rift discovered
• 1942 Fermi creates 1st controlled
• 1953 Watson and Crick describe
nuclear reaction DNA
• 1945 ENIAC built • 1954 First kidney transplant
• 1945 Atomic bomb detonated • 1959 Leaky finds early hominid
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1960 Hess propose seafloor spreading • 1977 found near deep ocean vents
• 1965 Penzias and Wilson observe • 1980 Alvarez finds evidence for
cosmic background microwave dinosaur killing asteroid
radiation
• 1992 World wide Web
• 1967 Pulsars discovered
• 1992 The risk of carbon dioxide
• 1969 Apollo lands on moon
buildup and global warming is
• 1971 First commercial microprocessor recognised.
introduced
• 1974 Johanson finds 3.2 million year • 1992 The first 'xenotransplant'
old Lucy from one type of animal to
• 1975 Personal computer launched another involving genetically
• 1976 Cosmic string theory introduced
engineered tissue (liver) is
carried out successfully.
Discoveries of 21 Century st
cobra
Inductive Mathematical Reasoning
Find a General Rule for the Number series: 0, 2, 8, 18, 32, 50, 72…..
Explain the Fibonacci Series: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34,……
Stable Atomic Nuclei have the following number of nucleons (proton and neutrons):
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, … What is the next member in the series?
Logical Fallacies
http://www.intrepidsoftware.com/fallacy/toc.php
• Novelty, Appeal to
• Abusive ad hominem
• No True Scotsman
• Accent
• Numbers, Appeal to
• Ambiguity (index)
• Money, Appeal to
• Amphiboly
• Oversimplification and Exaggeration
• Age, Appeal to
• Pity, Appeal to (Argumentum ad Misercordiam)
• Authority, Appeals to (4 types)
• Poisoning the Well
• Authority, Legitimate Appeal to
• Poverty, Appeal to
• Ad Hominem (5 types)
• Presumption
• Begging the Question
• Quantifier Fallacy
• Circumstantial ad hominem
• Quoting out of Context
• Complex Question
• Reification / Hypostatization
• Composition
• Fallacies of Relevance (index)
• Correlation vs. Causation
• Scope Fallacy
• Division
• Suppressed Evidence
• Emotion and Desire, Appeals to (5 types)
• Tradition, Appeal to
• Equivocation
• Tu Quoque (two wrongs don't make a right
• Unqualified Authority, Appeal to
• Genetic Fallacy
• False Dilemma
• Illicit Observation
• Flatter, Appeal to
• Force / Fear, Appeal to (Argumentum ad Baculum)
Logical Fallacies
• Straw Man
• Definition:
• The author attacks an argument which is different from, and
• usually weaker than, the opposition's best argument.
• Examples:
• (i) People who opposed the Charlottown Accord probably just
• wanted Quebec to separate. But we want Quebec to stay in
• Canada.
• (ii) We should have conscription. People don't want to enter
• the military because they find it an inconvenience. But they
• should realize that there are more important things than
• convenience.
• Proof:
• Show that the opposition's argument has been
• misrepresented by showing that the opposition has a stronger
• argument. Describe the stronger argument.
Logical Fallacies
• Definition:
• The truth of the conclusion is assumed by the premises.
• Often, the conclusion is simply restated in the premises in a
• slightly different form. In more difficult cases, the premise is
• a consequence of the conclusion.
• Examples:
• (i) Since I'm not lying, it follows that I'm telling the truth.
• (ii) We know that God exists, since the Bible says God exists.
• What the Bible says must be true, since God wrote it and
• God never lies. (Here, we must agree that God exists in order
• to believe that God wrote the Bible.)
• Proof:
• Show that in order to believe that the premises are true we
• must already agree that the conclusion is true.
Logical Fallacies
• Coincidental Correlation
• (post hoc ergo propter hoc )
• Definition:
• The name in Latin means "after this therefore because of this".
• This describes the fallacy. An author commits the fallacy when
• it is assumed that because one thing follows another that the
• one thing was caused by the other.
• Examples:
• (i) Immigration to Alberta from Ontario increased. Soon
• after, the welfare rolls increased. Therefore, the increased
• immigration caused the increased welfare rolls.
• (ii) I took EZ-No-Cold, and two days later, my cold
• disappeared.
• Proof:
• Show that the correlation is coincidental by showing that: (i)
• the effect would have occurred even if the cause did not
• occur, or (ii) that the effect was caused by something other
• than the suggested cause.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789
`1543: Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) publishes De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, which argues that the Sun is
the center of the Solar System.
*1543: Andrea Vesalius (1514-1564) publishes Concerning the Structure of the Human Body, the first modern
anatomical text.
*1600: William Gilbert (1540-1603) publishes Concerning the Magnet.
*1605: Francis Bacon (1561-1626) publishes Advancement of Learning.
*1609: Astronomia Nova is published by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), in which he presented his first two Laws of
Planetary Motion.
*1610: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) publishes Sidereal Messenger, describing his observations using the telescope.
*1619: Kepler publishes his Third Law in Harmonia Mundi.
*1628: William Harvey (1578-1657) publishes On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, in which he proves
that the heart circulates blood throughout the body.
*1632: Galileo publishes Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he compares the Copernican and Ptolemaic
solar systems.
*1637: Rene Descartes publishes his Discourse on Method, in which he lays the foundation for modern philosophy.
*1644-9: Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), in a series of works, revives the traditions of Epicureanism and Skepticism.
*1660: Robert Boyle (1627-1691) publishes New Experiments Physico-Mechanical Touching the Spring of the Air, in
which he states his laws of gases.
*1662: The Royal Society of London is founded.
*1666: The French Academy of Science is founded.
*1677: Anton von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), using a microscope, discovers male spermatoza.
*1678: Christian Huygens (1629-1695) proposes the wave theory of light.
*1687: Isaac Newton (1642-1727) publishes his Principia Mathematica.
*1704: Isaac Newton publishes his Optics.
*1735: Carolus Linnaeus publishes his Systema Naturae, which establishes the science of taxonomy.
*1789: Antoine Lavoisier publishes his treatise on chemistry, laying the foundation for the modern theory of chemical
elements.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789
Chromosome
Gene (DNA)
Protein Gene (mRNA),
single strand
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Method of Doubt
He used 3 different foundations of belief in this method:
• Innate Ideas: Ideas that are in our souls by
nature.
• Adventum Ideas: Ideas that we “learn”
• Distinct Ideas: Ideas that we “invent”
Adventum Ideas
Descartes’s main interest is in the Adventum Ideas.
• Descartes described the ideas as:
• It is not evident that the things that exist
outside oneself are the causes of one’s ideas
because the things that exist outside oneself
and that seem are responsible for one’s ideas,
are in reality material things.
Objectives of the Philosophy of
Descartes
Mathematics and Philosophy are the basics of
Descartes’ fundamental studies.
• Don’t try to prove a multitude of truths, but
instead develop a system in which nothing is
said that is not evident.
•
• Use reason so you can be able to succeed in
life.