Middle Ages 11-14th centuries Religion (Christianity played a dominant role in the Middle Ages) Society o 3 distinct classes:

ses: clergy, nobility and peasantry. No social mobility Astronomy o Ptolemaic view of the universe was regarded as true (theory of a geocentric universe) o Deeply influenced by Christian thought o Did not satisfy the professional astronomer Medicine o Galen was the ultimate authority in his field (his theories dominated the field for years even when they were proved wrong by dissection) o Relied on animal dissection, hence his picture of human anatomy was very inaccurate o Galens doctrine of the four bodily humours: blood, yellow bile, phlegm and black bile o Many treatments proved dangerous and harmful to patients Science before the Scientific Revolution o All scientific concepts came from ancient scientists or the Bible o During the Middle Ages most of the works of ancient scientists were lost, and Aristotle, Ptolemy and Galen became the only, and therefore ultimate, authorities on their fields.

Renaissance 14-17th century doubts began about dogma of the Middle Ages voyages of discovery, exchanges with other parts of the world, more exposure to other schools of thoughts, and more knowledge. Rejecting the medieval world view o Revival of classical knowledge that challenged medieval beliefs Increased hunger for knowledge and ways to prove/disprove theories Increased use of mathematics o Key to navigation, military science, and geography o Promoted a degree of certainty that was otherwise impossible

Hence, Renaissance gave birth to Scientific Revolution. Invention of the printing press (1440) Printing spread rapidly 1500: more than 250 presses in Europe turning out books. 35000 editions of books were produced. 1600: 150,000 editions were being produced and x10 copies printed

Heralded the age of print: information could be disseminated in a manner that was inexpensive and accessible Cheaper to be educated/literate Exchange of ideas became easier and more widespread Decreased the power of the Church o Nature of God no longer dictated by the Church; the layman could read and interpret the Bible (Gods word) without an intermediary o Weakening of the stranglehold that the Church exerted over the faith of its people

Paracelsus (early 1500s) Disproved Galens idea that chemical changes, such as transforming one substance to another, were impossible Hounded out of many universities because he ridiculed ancient authorities (shows that at the time, people were still set in the dogma of ancient authorities, reluctant to accept new ideas) Gained fame for healing the sick (his ideas were accurate, and worked, but this was ignored)

Copernicus (1475-1543, 15-16 century) Felt the geocentric system was too complicated, and failed to accord with observed motions of the heavenly bodies. Model was inaccurate, but explanations and arguments made sense. Remained loyal to Ptolemaic model in many ways Although inaccurate in many ways, his theories were stimulus for future scientists.

Andreas Vesalius (in 1543) Personally dissected a body to illustrate what he was discussing Artistic advances of the renaissance and technical developments in the art of printing made possible the creation of illustrations superior to any hitherto produced Still had many erroneous assertions

Galileo (1564-1642, 16-17 century) 1610 1632 Galileo made new discoveries, backed up with evidence Galileos book was published Charged with attacks on authority of the Church Charged with heresy, sentenced to house arrest

Reformation (1517-1648, 16-17th century) New move to cleanse the Church Separation of Church and state

o Exclusion of religion from public life and state institutions Questioned many ideas associated with medieval Christianity and society Therefore, the Church was losing power Same time as Galileos books publishing o Church was worried that he was trying to challenge their power further, hence they were harsher on him

Bacon (1561-1626, 16-17th century) Scientific Method Compared himself to Columbus o Displays the consciousness of a changing world Late 16th-early 17th century Many writers rejecting the past Firm understanding that the world was more complicated than their medieval forebears had thought Shows the changing attitudes towards the new knowledge and the world in general, nearing the end of the Scientific Revolution

Newton (Late 16th-early 17th century) 3 Laws of Motion Had the backing to the English Queen (knighted in 1705) Shows that by this time, the attitudes of most people towards the pursuit of new knowledge had changed, and the increasing power of govt in that time vs the Churchs authority, which was diminished due to the Reformation)

William Harvey (1578-1657, 16th-17th century) His work led him to demolish the ancient Greeks erroneous contentions Dealt a severe blow to Galens theories Harveys theory of the circulation of the blood laid the foundation for modern physiology

Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge (1660) 1662: granted charter by King Charles II o political authority that boosted Science o growing presence of central govt in all areas of society (society acting more like todays) o Science was increasingly popular and became a model of thought

New Science

Reoriented Western thought from medieval theology and metaphysics to the study of physical and human problems Belief that all knowledge could be based on observation, experimentation, or rational deduction, and could be systematic, verifiable, progressive and useful Proved that no institution or dogma had a monopoly on truth Weakened traditional Christianity, led thinkers to question the validity of Christian teachings Mankind came to believe more strongly than ever that nature could be mastered Laid the groundwork for the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution

Positive Effects of the Scientific Revolution Increased knowledge Greater scientific and religious tolerance Less superstition More scientific answers Freedom to deviate from established theories which increased new developments

Negative Effects of the Scientific Revolution Loss of innocence Loss of traditional faith Loss of faith in heaven Scepticism Loss of personal/caring God