Chapter 4

The Beginnings of Modern Science and Philosophy

Updated: 2/25/2002

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Chapter Outline

• Renaissance Humanism (p. 82)
  • Major Themes
  • Francesco Petrarch
  • Giovanni Pico
  • Desiderius Erasmus
  • Martin Luther
  • Michel de Montaigne
• Further Challenges to Church Authority (p. 86)
• Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo (p. 87)
  • Ptolemy
  • Nicolaus Copernicus
  • Johannes Kepler
  • Galileo
    • Objective and subjective reality
    • The impossibility of a science of a conscious experience
• Isaac Newton (p. 92)
  • Principles of Newtonian Science
• Francis Bacon (p. 94)
  • Baconian Science
  • Science should provide useful information
• Rene Descartes (p. 97)
  • Descartes's Search for Philosophical Truth
  • Innate Ideas
  • The Reflex
  • Descartes's Explanation of Sleep and Dreams
  • The Mind-Body Interaction
  • Descartes's Contributions to Psychology
  • Descartes's Fate

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Lecture Outlines

• The Renaissance
• Renaissance Astronomy
• Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes

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'isms and 'ologies

• deduction
• dualist
• humanism
• induction
• positivism

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Graphics

• Johannes Kepler (homepage w/portrait)
• Aristotelian Universe
• Copernican Universe

• Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy--tutorial, intermediate, long, graphics
  • Page from a physics course explains Aristotle's model of the universe and Ptolemy's modifications of that model. http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/retrograde/aristotle.html
• Aristarchus' Unbelievable Discoveries--tutorial, basic, short, links, graphics
  • Discusses how Aristarchus was able to demonstrate the heliocentric universe over a thousand years before Copernicus. http://phyhp.phy.ncku.edu.tw/~astrolab/mirrors/apod/ap971108.html
• This New Ocean--text, intermediate, long, links (New)
  • Chapter 1 of book, This New Ocean, by William E. Burrows, details early events and people in science including Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Bruno, and others. http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/burrows-ocean.html
• Physics Lectures and Overview--tutorial, intermediate, medium, links
  • Index of lectures in physics course, includes Aristotle, Greek mathematics, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, Galileo, and many more. http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/lecturelist.html
• Galileo Invents the Telescope--tutorial, basic, short, links, graphics
  • Page has picture of Galileo and short discussion of his life, includes links to many other aspects of his life. http://phyhp.phy.ncku.edu.tw/~astrolab/mirrors/apod/ap960830.html
• The Galileo Project--index, interm., medium, links, graphics
  • Contains an introduction, information about Galileo arranged in a metaphor of the rooms of his villa, resources, maps, a timeline, and student work related to Galileo. The page also contains a link for text-only browsers. Links lead to a wide variety of information about Galileo, his life and time, and to other scientists of that era. http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/
• Room IV--Galileo Galilei--interactive, basic, short, links, graphics, QuickTime VR
  • Multimedia version of a room from the Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence, Italy. See and read descriptions of an objective lens of Galileo, application of the pendulum to the clock, thermoscope, the middle finger of Galileo's right hand, two of his telescopes, and much more. A QuickTime VR tour of the room is also available http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/4/index.html
• Galileo's Condemnation--text, interm., short, links
  • The English translation of Galileo's condemnation by the Inquisition. http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/a/esenten.html
• Galileo's Abjuration--text, intem., short, links, graphics
  • The English translation of Galileo's abjuration following his condemnation by the Inquisition. http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/a/eabiura.html
•  The "new learning" of the Renaissance (contains front pages of publications)
• Humanism and the Scientific Revolution (fairly long exposition on the rise of humanism)
• Petrarch (a letter to the abbot of San Benigno)
• Petrarch (selections of his correspondence)
• Pico (general information plus links to Italian renaissance)
• Erasmus (very large text - complete book: "The Praise of Folly")
• In Praise of Folly (the entire text)
• Martin Luther (translated text of "Ninety-five Theses")
• Michel de Montaigne (Of Custom, essay, slow Gopher link)
• Marco Polo (essay--On the Tartars)
• Marco Polo (essay--The Glories of Kinsay [Hangchow])
• The Art of Renaissance Science (large page on Galileo and other scientists)
• Ptolemy
• Copernicus (biography)
• Tycho Brahe Measures the Sky--tutorial, basic, short, links, graphics
  • Discusses Brahe's efforts to measure the sky, his observations of the 1572 nova, and his legacy to Kepler. http://phyhp.phy.ncku.edu.tw/~astrolab/mirrors/apod/ap960915.html
• Kepler (biography)
• Kepler Discovers How Planets Move--tutorial, basic, short, links, graphics
  • Page provides picture of Kepler and links to significant details of Kepler's life and work. http://phyhp.phy.ncku.edu.tw/~astrolab/mirrors/apod/ap960831.html
• Giordano Bruno--tutorial, basic, short, links
  • Short biography of Giordano Bruno. http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/01943.html
• The Burning of Servetus--text, adv., long, links
  • Detailed account of Servetus' life and work and how and why he was condemned and burned. http://www.gospelcom.net/ligonier/tt/tt-10-95/ttsubartbeates-10-95.html
• Galileo (index page)
• The Life of Galileo (highlights of his life)
• Galileo Timeline (the events of Galileo's life)
• Recent History of the Vatican and the Galileo Case (synopsis of recent Catholic Church actions about Galileo)
• The Galileo Affair (the Catholic viewpoint)
• Galileo's Condemnation (text of Holy Office's condemnation)
• Galileo: The Real Story (Kirsten Birkett--a fairly long account of the Galileo affair)
• Galileo (from Two New Sciences)--four extracts of his writing showing dialogues
• Newton
• Isaac Newton (biography)
• Newton, Isaac (1642-1727) (biography with mathematical equations linked!)
• The Sir Isaac Newton Home Page (an index page on Newton, contains other links and original works)
• Isaac Newton (biography)
• Isaac Newton (short biography)
• Bacon (poems)
• Shake-n-Bacon (a large index page about Francis Bacon)
• Mind and Body: From Descartes to James (a nice psychology-based site)
• Descartes (Descartes's Dreams)
• Descartes (general information)
• Robert Hooke (another famous early scientist)
• Antony van Leeuwenhoek (early Dutch scientist, used microscope)
• Leonardo da Vinci (the prototypical Renaissance man?)
• Georgius Agricola (father of mining and geology)
• Infinity, Faith, and Time (book outline)
• Renaissance NEW (Annenberg)