HIST 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Scientific Revolution, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Secularism
Document Summary
Powerful movement: generated art, philosophy, etc. All about reason and secularism: secularism means without religion. Religion is like a private matter in enlightenment. Through reason people can improve their lives. Return of greek philosophy kicks off enlightenment. Renaissance, reformation, scientific revolution (1500 1700) also have influence: scientific revolution is all about changing thinking on nature and reorganizing thinking. All about natural world through reason and logic. Copernicus wrote about sun being the center of the universe: not actually true but close. Originally people resisted this idea but eventually agreed: idea was actually simpler than geocentric, huge secular jump in thinking. Newton wanted to know why planets moved the way they do: made 3 laws. Break down a bit at the quantum level because they are absolute laws. Effects of scientific revolution: world is within our grasp. Not many people were literate at this time. Need to popularize ideas for common people.
