A New Order in A New Order in Science and PoliticsScience and Politics

The seventeenth century saw a wave of The seventeenth century saw a wave of new thinking about human knowledge, our new thinking about human knowledge, our place in the world, and our place in the place in the world, and our place in the universe.universe.

Who are we talking about in this time?Who are we talking about in this time?

Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton Nicolas CopernicusNicolas Copernicus Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei

The era was referred to as the Scientific The era was referred to as the Scientific RevolutionRevolution

The old viewThe old view

Aristotle and Aristotle and Ptolemy were Ptolemy were astronomers in astronomers in Ancient Greece.Ancient Greece.

Proposed Proposed geocentrism.geocentrism.

Jerusalem was Jerusalem was the “center of the “center of the Earth.”the Earth.”

The Medieval belief The Medieval belief was that the was that the cosmos was a cosmos was a hierarchy, similar to hierarchy, similar to the one on Earth.the one on Earth.

Motion was perfect. Motion was perfect. We were in the We were in the centre, which centre, which meant a special meant a special relationship relationship with god.with god.

Nicolas Copernicus (1473 -Nicolas Copernicus (1473 -1543)1543)

In 1543, the year In 1543, the year he died, Copernicus he died, Copernicus published published On the On the Revolutions of the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies.Heavenly Bodies.

He argued that He argued that Ptolemy was wrong.Ptolemy was wrong.

He proposed the He proposed the Heliocentric modelHeliocentric model

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)

Took a Took a combination of the combination of the ideas and said ideas and said that all of the that all of the planets except planets except Earth orbit the Earth orbit the Sun, and that Sun, and that whole system whole system rotates around the rotates around the earth.earth.

Johannes Kepler (1571 – Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630)1630) He proposed the He proposed the

following:following: 1.The orbit of a planet 1.The orbit of a planet

is an ellipse with the is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the Sun at one of the two foci.two foci.

2. A line segment 2. A line segment joining a planet and the joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal areas during equal intervals of time.intervals of time.

3. The square of 3. The square of the orbital period of a the orbital period of a planet is proportional to planet is proportional to the cube of the semi-the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.major axis of its orbit.

Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642)Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642) Italian Physicist, Italian Physicist,

mathematician, mathematician, engineer, engineer, astronomer, and astronomer, and philosopher.philosopher.

In 1589, Galileo In 1589, Galileo did an experiment did an experiment at the Leaning at the Leaning Tower of Pisa that Tower of Pisa that showed a couple showed a couple of things.of things.

He dropped two He dropped two balls that had balls that had different weights different weights from the top of from the top of the tower.the tower.

He proved that He proved that objects accelerate objects accelerate at the same at the same speed, regardless speed, regardless of mass.of mass.

What really matteWhat really matters is air resistancers is air resistance..

1609 he built 1609 he built the first the first telescope.telescope.

With it, he With it, he discovered the discovered the moons of moons of Jupiter.Jupiter.

First thingsFirst thingsdiscovereddiscoveredthat didn’tthat didn’torbit Earthorbit Earthor the Sun.or the Sun.

Galileo used the evidence from this Galileo used the evidence from this discovery to construct his own theory discovery to construct his own theory of heliocentrism.of heliocentrism.

This made him a target of the church.This made him a target of the church. The church supported the view that The church supported the view that

Earth was the centre of the universe Earth was the centre of the universe and that we were unique in God’s and that we were unique in God’s eyes.eyes.

Being just another planet did not fit Being just another planet did not fit with that view.with that view.

In 1633, Galileo was tried by the In 1633, Galileo was tried by the Inquisition and sentenced to life Inquisition and sentenced to life imprisonment. This became house imprisonment. This became house arrest.arrest.

Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727)Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727)

Perhaps the most Perhaps the most famous name in famous name in science, behind science, behind maybe Einstein and maybe Einstein and Hawking.Hawking.

He is responsible He is responsible for the theory of for the theory of gravity as well as gravity as well as his three laws of his three laws of motion.motion.