“In the 18th century, people turned to the (new science) enlightenment ideas for a better understanding of the social and economic problems of the day.” Assess the validity of this statement by using specific examples from the Enlightenment era. Remember to respond to the question in 6-8 sentences (yes it can be longer) and to respond to two of your classmates answers in 4-6 sentences. Do not just agree or disagree without defending or justifying your argument.) NOTE: YOU CANNOT SAY "I AGREE WITH JOE AND BOB AND WRITE ONE RESPONSE. IT MUST BE TWO SEPARATE RESPONSES WITH TWO DIFFERENT EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU SAY. Think above and beyond the common answers that you may see. Be sure to challenge your classmates with controversial tactics, actions or selections. Good Luck!!!! Go Mustangs!!!
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In the eighteenth century, when Newtonian science was at its peek,it was exceptionally noteworthy for European cultural expression. This was most evident in philosophy, which sought to find in human affairs natural laws similar to those science had discovered in the physical universe. This approach led people to find some interest in literature,but it was much more obscured in the visual arts and barely noticeable in music. Because they were largely affected by tradition, individual feeling,and patronage, the arts were less responsive to scientific influence. They were very rich, reflecting the increasing wealth,widening perspectives, and rising technical advances of European life.
The new science, or the scientific revolution, was the process that established the new view of the universe. But not everything associated with “new” science is necessarily new. Newtonian Science had its biggest impact during the 18th century. The impact was very noticeable in philosophy but when it came to literature, visual arts and music the impact was milder. The political changes during the 18th century weren’t as relevant. However, the political development was noticeable in central Europe as well as the expansion of the economic functions of the state. Socialists believed economic equality and abolition of private property must become important goals. While a feminist known as Mary Wollstonecraft believed political rights and freedom should be extended to women. The new ideas encouraged more changes in the habits and beliefs of many people.
Danielle Eales: I agree with everything that you mentioned. I'd like to add how although music wasn't the height of interest, it wasn't completely ignored. At the beginning of the 18th century music had more baroque like characteristics. As the 18th century progressed, the composers of the music went from heavy baroque styles, to more classical music with a simpler structure and greater clarity. This type of music was more common than plain folklike melodies. The music that was less common and didn’t capture much attention was played in religious services.
You may want to look at the question again...it is addressing the issue of how they applied the scientific method to solve societies economic and social problems. You will need to review the enlightenment ideas to answer that question as #1baller has shown. Good implement of Mary W....
I will say this that your incorporation of the arts/cultural components was well taken though.
The enlightenment spiritualized the principle of religious authority, humanized theological systems, and emancipated individuals from physical coercion. It was the Enlightenment that dislodged the ecclesiastical establishment from central control of cultural and intellectual life. Isaac Newton and writers like John Locke were challenging the old order. Newton's laws of gravity and motion described the world in terms of natural laws beyond any spiritual force. In the wake of political turmoil in England, Locke asserted the right of a people to change a government that did not protect natural rights of life, liberty and property. People were beginning to doubt the existence of a God who could predestine human beings to eternal damnation and empower a tyrant for a king. John Locke defended the displacement of a monarch who would not protect the lives, liberties, and property of the English people. Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated that society should be ruled by the "general will" of the people. Baron de Montesquieu declared that power should not be concentrated in the hands of any one individual. Europe would be forever changed by these ideas. English deism, however, was more pervasive in the Enlightenment. It emphasized an impersonal deity, natural religion and the common morality of all human beings. Deism was a logical outgrowth of scientific inquiry, rational faith in humanity, and the study of comparative religion. All religions could be reduced to worship God and a commonsense moral code. There was a universal natural religion. These ideas, political, religious, and social spread throughout during the Enlightenment.
The scientific revolution involved new discoveries and information from the ancient world and the late middle ages. The enlightenment resulted from the scientific revolution and was fostered by the ideas of Newtonian, political stability, commercial prosperity, and administrative and economic reform throughout Europe. Scholars began to question the society and government, wanting economic growth and administrative reform. People of the enlightenment challenged traditional social and economic practices, which lead to society following their views on those problems. The enlightenment focused on analyzing and improving the government. Isaac Newton and John Locke were the major intellectual advocates of the enlightenment. The scientific revolution persuaded others to challenge the traditional thoughts.
The Scientific Revolution was when people were searching for the ideas of the social and economical problems by using the scientific ideas to simplify the meaning so they could comprehend easier and know how to handle it. Scientific revolution was the process of publishing the different perspectives and thoughts of the universe. Even though, it was known as the new science, information and things that was involved wasn't all completely new. One of the most significant impact during the 18th century was the Newtonian science. It helped convey the new ideas of the physical universe, and this lead people to find it very interesting, On the other hand, the effect in visual arts and music were total opposite. Many of the scholars began to wonder about the condition of the society and government. Isaac Newton and John Locke were the main character and leader of the Scientific Revolution. Because of being affected by the traditions, and ideas, arts were not as influential to science. Deseprate for advance economy system and a modified administration system, People of the enlightenment challenged the traditional form of economic and social practices, affecting the society and causing them to agree with their views on those arguments and discussions. The enlightenment were mainly about analyzing specific areas on where needs to be changed and improvise the government system. Many of the people were wealthy and the encouragement of challenges against the traditions which identifies the positive change in economy, the broaden tolerance of different perspectives, and the improvements of European lifes during that era.
During the scientific revolution and the enlightenment, people made the transition from believing what they were told to thinking independently. However, this was not a sudden change, but a result of the gradual independence that people began to develop during the Renaissance, and also through the reformation. The statement is valid, because people did, indeed, turn to science for answers to issues. Socially, people had divided into various groups regarding their beliefs. When it was discovered that the earth was heliocentric rather than geocentric, it caused a rise of questions. Something that had been believed for years had been proved to be incorrect, and with this acknowledgement, people began to wonder what else could be wrong. This rise of uncertainty took authority away from church, and people started to distance themselves from religion. While many still believed in a god, the inaccuracy of what the church had taught had led others to disregard religion completely. However, many people began to become more interested in finding out the truth and many applied the Bacon's empirical method to life. There were societies created for the sake of sharing experimental results and ideas, and that sharing of discoveries had great effect on the social aspects of the time. Adam Smith also transformed perspectives on the economy by stating that the government should have a limited role in economic life (laissez-faire). The independent ideas that developed during the time period influenced Smith by encouraging him to support individual economic actions. There were also the physiocrats who believed the government should simply protect property and allow its owner to freely use it. All in all, the social and economic factors of the scientific revolution and enlightment were definitely influenced by the discovery of a new science, as well as an increased independence within humans.
Tt for3: I agree with your statement about the desire for political stability being a cause of the scientific revolution. That is a significant factor that I think I may have lacked in my answer. For example, in France, there was many issues due to all the wars that Louis XIV had gotten involved with in his goal to secure boundaries and expand. Also, the Mississippi Bubble added to the already suffering economy. As a result, people turned to economic experts of the scientific revolution and the enlightenment. Although Adam Smith was English, he exemplifies the type of person that influenced the economic decisions and ideas of people.
Tommy Cheong: I agree with your statement about the Newtonian science influencing the revolution. When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he provided a reason why the planets orbited the way they did. With an explanation, there was more reason to believe the elliptical shape, and also Copernicus' heliocentric model. Newton's ideas also encouraged people to think for themselves as he stood as an example of what the human mind was capable of. He showed that it wasn't necessary to just accept all that was told, because individuals had the potential to do much if they were just to think for themselves.
#1baller: I do agree with you when you said, "not everything associated with “new” science is necessarily new." In addition to your statement, I'd like to add that Newtonian science had the biggest had the biggest impact because Newtonian science was easy to formulate, although its implications are subtle. Its best known principle, which was formulated by the philosopher-scientist Descartes well before Newton, is that of analysis.To understand any complex phenomenon,one needs to take it apart,or reduce it to its individual components. If these are still complex, you need to take your analysis one step further, and look at their components.
Micheal Colburn: I completely agree with your statements. I'd like to add that even though people were beginning to doubt God's existence, the scientist still believed in a "higher power". Some believed that God was some sort of "clock maker." I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe because God already knew what was going to happen and just kind of sat back to watch it all unwind. An example of a person who believed in such was Voltaire.
Tt for3: I do agree with all the information you have provided. I'd like to add that the Enlightenment thinkers felt that change and reason were both possible and desireable for the sake of human liberty. The Enlightenment philosophes provided a major source of ideas that could be used to undermine existing social and political structures. Some of the major themes of the era included rationalism, cosmology,secularism, the Scientific Method, tolerance, freedom,optomism and as well as self-confidence.
Lily L: I agree with your true statements. The Enlightenment was also one of the key factors in contributing factor in the American and French Revolutions. Enlightenment thinking reflected in the U. S. Declaration of Independence and Enlightened Despots. European thought became centered on the belief in reason, science, individual rights, and the progress of civilization.
During the 18th century, many people turned to Enlightenment ideas to better understand the social and economic problems because Enlightement thinkers used logic and reasoning to explain natural science, which also contributed to better understanding the world as a whole. One contributing factor which helped spread Enlightenment ideas was the popularization of print. This allowed philosphers such as John Locke and Isaac Newton to be able to publish their findings and contribute to benefiting society. Lock rejected the Christian doctrine of sin and believed that an individual can improve their condition. This allowed people to become their own individuals instead of being strictly under the influence of the church. Newton's experiments with motion and gravitation allowed other scientific thinkers to develop their ideas and build on his, which helped spread the knowledge of natural science. Liberal policies were passed, and these helped the economy prosper, along with bringing stability to the political realm. Philosophes such as Voltaire admired the English and their economic propserity, and brought those ideas to France to help contribute to stabilizing its economy. He also believed in having a feeling of tolerance among individuals, especially regarding politics. Ideas such as Deism contributed socially because it helped explain religious logically, without minimizing the religious factor and disagreeing with the major factors of Christianity. Since religion played a huge part in society, a better understanding, or a better view of religion would help society improve and create more understanding between the various social classes.
The enlgihtment folllowed the scientific revolution.
People thought that once the the natural laws that goverened people and human existence was discovered soceity could be well organized.
The whole thought behind the Englighment was progress. Soceity and human knowledge needed progress. If porgress was made their would be a better way of goverement and soceity would be fair. One of the causes was Newtonian science, newton thought human reason was the key. Many philosophers were inspired by newtonian science. During this time many people were agianst the church, they wanted prove that what the bible and the church was real. They seeked ansewers they used Bacon's inductive method to figure out if what the church was saying was right.
Beccaria was an a philosophes he had ideas, he wanted to make laws effective and just.
Their were many more philosophes that had their own ideas to make european society better.
I agree with Natsuki
Englightament ideas helped one be an individual. This helped society to progress. If one had different views and stopped following the church they can bring diiferent thoughts into society.
I also agree Michaela Colbourn.
Deism was a way that some philosphers tried to connect science and religion. Deism helped humans have a natural religion. People had the idea t that God was a watchmaker.
Lily:
I like how you brought out that people started to distance themselves from religion, because the developments of the Scientific Revolution led to that, and how people became more independant with the church. Without this new knowledge, I don't think people would be brave enough to have separated from the church and developed their own ideology. The example you brought up about Adam Smith also exemplifies how this applied to European society.
I agree with Natsuki. Especially on the Enlightment ideas. The ideas, in fact, did support individualism and also assisted the society to become more advanced. For example, If one person suddenly did something that was against the traditions, it would indeed cause other people to think, and allow new and totally different ideas to influence and flow within the society.
I also agree with Michaela Colburn with Deism.
Deism is a belief that some philosophers tried to bring into the scientific society. They thought bringing it in would convey the ideas of how natural the world is and how God was just a creator of the world and would leave it to evolve on its own.
Laura:
Although I do agree with your reasoning, I don't neccesarily agree that all people thought that understandment of natural laws would help society. Many people were against the advancement of natural laws, as it lessened their power. The political power mainly was against this, as this meant that the individuals would find their independance and not be as easy to sway. However, the philosopheis of the time did improve the conditions of the general good, so that point was well brought out.
During the Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment, philsophers and scientists alike wanted to seperate religous beliefs from secular ideas. Since Ptolemy's time, people had believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and that the sun, moon, stars and other planets were above the Earth in a series of concentric spheres, and outside of these spheres lay the realm of God and the angels. However, some people began to doubt that this was true, an example would be Nicolaus Copernicus, who had believed that this system had its flaws. Copernicus believed that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe; he believed that the sun was, and that all bodies in orbit revolved around the sun instead of the Earth. Soon after, many other scientists began to look at the ancient way of life in a different perspective. Many of these scientists include Kepler, Brahe, Galileo, Newton and Bacon. Reasoning had become an important standard to these people, especially when it came to religon. Deism was the belief of a rational God who had created the universe, but did not interfere with nature's mechanics. Though some of these scientists were anti-clerical and were against what the Church had tought, many did not strive away from God.
Then, in the eighteenth century, the enlightenment had begun. The scientific revoloution had influenced this heavily, because as people began to realize the importance of examining, questioning, observing, this allowed many intellectuals to come up with their own ideas about politics, religon and human nature. Some of these famous Enlightened thinkers include John Locke, who was anti-absolutisim, and believed in natural human rights, which included life, liberty and the right to property. Then there was Thomas Hobbes, a pessimist by nature, he believed that man were wicked and cruel, and that they needed an absolute ruler to "save" them from themselves. Many other pihlosophes during the enlightenment not only spoke out against politics, but against religon as well. Francois-Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire, did not hide his dislike of the church, and religon all together. Voltaire questioned the morality of the clergy and the Bible, he also had pointed out the immoral acts of beloved biblical figures. The important thing that he spoke out about against religon was the injustice and intolerance that the church had favored. Many other philospohes felt the same as Volatire, others though, took things further, such as Baron d' Holbach and Julien Offray de La Mettire, whose ideas were close to what is to be considered as atheism. However, not all philosophes opposed religon, some of these philosophes were clergymen themselves. Many of the leading philosophes in France were Catholic priests, and in England some Anglican clergymen were helping too poularize Newton's thoughts. The enlightenment had eventually reached to some absolute rulers, such as Fredrick The Great of Prussia, Catherine The Great of Russia, and Joseph II of Austria. They had used the enlightenment ideas of religous tolerance to help benifet their societies.
Lily: I agree with your statement about Adam Smith transforming the perspective on economic issues, something which I didn't understand well. I also agree with how you connected the Scientific Revolution to the Renaissance and the Reformation, which proves that the Scientific Revolution was a period of slow growth and it took time for people to accept these ideas.
Tommy: I agree with your statements about Newton being an important part of the scientific movement, which was true because Newton had observed the universe and nature was rational, therefore God was too, which lead to Deism, and also Newton had created the laws of motions that is still intact into the present day, which shows how significant of an impact Newton's thoughts had on society and science.
The scientific revolution created a transition from people having to believe what was taught instead of thinking and acting for themselves. Their independence did not just start in this era but in others. There were always those people who tried the church and their teachings. The statement is valid because the people started understanding how things work with science rather than how the church describes it. The renaissance stimulated science by rediscovering mathematics. Nicholas Copernicus raised eyebrows as he challenged the church. They had taught everyone that everything revolves around the earth. Others aspects and thought had started after that such as creating telescopes and making new discoveries that created today. Natural science and reason were explaining all aspects of life.
Tt for3: I agree with you. I beleive that if the scientists who hadnt went against the churchs teachings ,then the society would have been changed drastically in that era and todays. The people would still have the same thoughts that the church had taught. Also the telescope and other discoviers might not have been found. The scientific revolution marked a majot part in our history.
Tommy Cheong: I agree with your stance. I do think that the scientific revolution helped created understanding for the people. They could ask questions and find an answer. The dicoveries werent completely "new" as you had stated. The ideas were just fully developed and brought to a new level.
I believe that the statement concerning the relationship between new science enlightenment ideas and the understanding of social and economic problems to be true. During the age of the enlightenment, ideas from the scientific revolution had inspired people to deal with their social and economic problems with a more realistic approach instead of abiding by what the church told them. People had many questions and the church’s responses were unsatisfactory; they drew answers from Isaac Newton and John Locke’s theories which undermined the traditional Christian explanations of the time by giving more secular explanations which lead to the idea that society was as rational as nature. Throughout the nations of Europe, there was social unrest and displeasure concerning the monarch. John Locke believed that if a government put the state of its people first, peace and a sense of ease would settle the issues. Frederick the Great of Prussia was an example of this enlightened idea, subordinating his own interests to that of the good of his people (this included religious toleration). Another idea that people turned to was that of empiricism. Empiricism was the development of theories or philosophies through experimentation or observation. Monarchs had also used their authority to its highest degree, usually resulting in punishments that were unfair and considered cruel. In his book On Crimes and Punishments, Marquis Cesare Beccaria analyzed the issue of monarchs misusing their power in an attempt to conform their laws to that of the laws of nature.
A main effect of the enlightenment ideas was the glorification of the man’s limitless ability. Economically, people began to feel that the government was a hindrance to a nation’s commercial growth and the previous mercantilist system should be terminated. Adam Smith had advocated these ideas by arguing that the most certain way to increase economic growth was to allow the selfish pursuit of an individual’s economic interest and the “founding” of the laissez-fair policy (limiting government relations with the economy).
#1baller:
I agree with your statement about Mary Wollstonecraft and how “the new ideas encouraged more changes in the habits and beliefs of many people.” However, I’d like to add that although Mary Wollstonecraft and other feminists had believed that women should be given rights and freedom, many philosophes still held the belief that women should be headed by men and that not much action was taken to improve the state that women were stuck in. Articles within the “Encyclopedia” had included articles pertaining to women but the majority of them accented the inferiority of women to men. Jaques Rousseau had stressed the importance of a woman’s role in domestic life but also depicted women to be weak and subordinate to men. So yes, the enlightenment ideas had roused for a change in the beliefs of people, but I think more so in other areas and not majorly on the view of women.
jrotega:
I agree with your statement and would like to expand on the topic of Nicolaus Copernicus’s challenge to the church. Before Copernicus, it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe and all the other planets revolved around it. This geocentric idea was supported by the church because it was align with biblical teachings. However, there were questions concerning the movement of the planets; with the earth at the center of the universe it seemed that the other planets had been moving backwards in some instances. Copernicus had answered this question with his heliocentric idea, placing the sun at the center of the universe with all the planets revolving around it. He refocused the center point from the Earth to the sun so that the movement of the planets made more sense, and his idea had more evidence to support it. Although Copernicus’s model had clarified the confusion with the Ptolemaic Systems, it wasn’t wholly accepted by astronomers and philosophers.
Tt for3: I agree that politics was a cause of the enlightenment but I would also like to add religion. The Bible and religion was questioned by many people. They did not see the proof in the Bible that they saw in science and observation. These people went to science and what is now called the enlightenment occurred.
Natsuki:
I agree with your reason why many people were influenced by the Enlightenment because they wanted the guidance of a proven solution to social and economic problems. The Enlightenment thinkers like Isaac Newton and John Locke support their curiosity because they used logic and reasoning to explain their ideas. I also think that these thinkers contributed to the expansion of more individualism to the society. As a result, more philosphes began to challenge the traditional thoughts.
Sarah..:
The scientific revolution influenced the Enlightenment many people began to realize the importance of examining, questioning, and observing, so new theories about politics, religion and the society were made. I like how you mentioned that reasoning became an essential standard. A lot of the philosophes during the enlightenment spoke out against politics and also religion. I agree with your example of how some absolute rulers used the enlightenment ideas of religious tolerance to advance their societies.
The new science was a transition of a new view on aspects of the world.I agree that the statement is valid. Due to scientists such as Galileo, Coprinicus, Newton, Bacon and many more that had an independent mind. They developed thoughts of centuries before their age to create a bigger picture. They wanted to share their ideas and inventions with the poepole to help them understand. It eventually created minds as individuals. Instead of people being forced to belive in the teachings of the church.
I strongly agree that the statement is Valid. Back in the day many people didn't have much evidence to believe what this world was really made and how it was created. For then as Philosophical thinkers were stating their ideas and beliefs out to the world many people had the choice to believe in a certain theory. Since others didn't know how this world was made up the only belief & evidence they were able to go about was the one of the philosophical thinkers. The ways the philosophical thinkers displayed their individualism created a diverse way of thinking & forming a society. The views of the different thinkers made an impact on society and others started to rebel against the church.
Lily l. I agree with your statement. The scientific revolution was a transition to becoming independent thinkers. The fact that they started to want to become individuals and break away from the churcches teaching showed a transition in the world. The scientists creaked a mark in the develpoment. Due to their teaching and ideas the people wanted more and more for their understanding.
Ishani - I defiantly agree with you on the fact that many thinkers had individual minds and ways of thinking. Since they all contributed different theories this led to giving the people different out looks and different beliefs. Since not everyone believed in the same theories they had built a diverse society. They didnt only have to go by the churches thinking but could rebel and go thru the thinking of an individual philosopher.
The new ideas that spread over Europe during the 18th century were truly a stepping-stone for the world as a whole. It seemed to start with philosophers with their "aim towards forerunning change.” Along with change comes the bond of philosophers, which banned together to reform religion, they also believed to apply rules of reason and common sense to nearly everything. Some of these groundbreaking philosophers were Voltaire, Montessquiev, Diderut, and Kant. Because of England’s newly founded high standard of living the people that paid most attention to these men were “prosperous commercial and professional people in towns and cities. Voltaire was as innovative as any during this time period, living in France he created works like the “Letters on the English” he criticized abuses of French society and forced people to think and rethink at the world they are living in. He, like many others at that time believed that human society should and could be changed for the better of society. Locke and Newton were advocates of the Enlightenment as well. They both believed in rationalizing nature and Locke encouraged humans to enter a world of Tabula Rasa which means, blank page. British Toleration and openness to change made England a place where change was bound to happen. Religious toleration was administrated to everybody except the Unitarians, and even then they weren’t prosecuted. Free speech prevailed throughout England while the authority of the monarch was limited, which all resulted in the people became loyal to their country. Newspapers, journals, books, and pamphlets had achieved tremendous status among everyday life. “Printed word became the chief vehicle for communication of ideas and would remain so until the electronic revolution of our own day.”
Jacqueline - I Agree with and the fact that people had individualism gave them different out looks about what the church was thinking. Many People were taught to believe to agree with everything the bible states & to go about with that belief. But as many different thinkers gained evidence and started publishing their different theories it opened the eyes to many others in beliefs that their is more that just the church. I also agree with you and the fact that renaissance played a big part in stimualting others and their thoughts , as to when copernicus went against the church in different challenges.
jrortega: I agree with your reasoning and the views that you express. The scientific revolution was a transition for the people.Though it did not happen right away where the people began having independent minds the build up created a strong structure for the people. There were scientits who created the structure of independent minds away from the church,
LauraSan: I agree with the fact that people were in search of proof but I would say that they were questioning the church. They were not completely against it. I would also like to add that Deism was a major belief that spread. Deism is the thought that God created the world like a clock and now just watches it function on its own.
The 18th century was a time period of intellectual progress in the Scientific Revolution, and was a main part of the Enlightenment era. As technology progressed, knowledge did as well, and the collective curiosity of mankind followed suit. Scientists and the intellectuals of society started to seek answers to the questions of life, and used Enlightenment ideas (inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, the empirical method) to help in their pursuit for the truth. As these ideas led to great results, the rest of society observed the changes being made to how thought was structured and approached, and learned from it. So yes, the statement made can be verified; people used ideas pioneered in the Enlightenment movement in everyday life. Adam Smith's proposition of laissez-faire is a blatant example of this, as the enlightenment inspired his thought on how to change the economy of France for the better and solve a widespread problem. The French writer Voltaire's works are also supporting examples, as his use of Enlightenment era thought led to his social commentary taking on his trademark slant. To sum up, yes; Enlightenment ideas DID help people to better understand problems they faced in society and their economy at the time.
@Lily Lewis
I do strongly agree with your post. Your mentioning of the geocentricism and heliocentrism debates and how they split society was very on base in it's application. I also fully support your use of the physiocrats' ideas as an example of evidence. If I were writing your post, I would add in that the French writers at the time were a huge factor in applying Enlightened ideas to social problems.
@Natsuki
Your response was good, i wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion. I believe your example of Voltaire was well used. I think the strongest part of your argument was in referencing the philosophers like John Locke and the effects of religion at the time. In hindsight, you might consider mentioning France's situation. It was a huge proponent of the statement referenced.
Tommy: I agree with how you said that One of the most significant impact during the 18th century was Newtonian science. Newtonian Science was most evident in Philosophy. It was more obscured in visual arts but it wasn't very noticeable in music. The arts was the least responsive to scientific influence due to the fact that it was largely affected by tradition.
During the eighteenth century people began to look further into questions that used to be answered by the church. This eventually led to the Scientific Revolution. People began to break away from believing what they were told and began to think independently. One could agree with the statement because as people began to think more about logic the find the answers to problems with economics and social issues. An example would be how Newton made great advances to science. If was not for great advances such as those are what changed the world. As people be gan to think independently they helped fix world problems.
I agree with Tommy, a large contributer to the Scientific Revolution was people publishing their different ideas. I also agree that newtonian science was a very great contributer. It was especially true with philosophy. But I believe that it was not just for changing minor items it helped change major items.
I also agree with Natsuki that people such as John Locke were great contributers. If it was not for people such as them the Scientific Revolution might have not even happened. I also agree with the fact that printing helped spread ideas. Without people that helped influence the enlightenment many people would have never been influenced to spread their influence to others.
This statement is very valid in the the thought that new science helped the people of this time no the reason behind things. This also shows how willing the people were to grab onto any chance of proof, or evidence for their beliefs or ways of life.Science became people's reason for everything, they began to figure out why the planets moved a certain way, and how. While many people were glad to finally get their questions answered, others were upset that now religion would be interfered wth, with science. As it always has been though, the true believers would not listen to science, and those that did, went their own path. This brings us back to how science changed the economy, and and the social aspects. One specific example would be when the religious enlightenment occured, each religion began to fight, and even though they believed they should love each other, they fought anyways. Science started to influence religion in the aspect that it began to make less people believe in any religion.
Justin Archer, I agree with you in the sense that the revolution started because there were so many questions to be answered by someone other than the church. The churches used to give people answers that would make them continue to believe in their religion. Once the churches caught on to all the science that was being discovered, they were furious. Many people started to have their own opinions on subjects, and stopped asking the churches for every little question.
#1baller, I agree with your statement that not everything they claimed to be new actually was. The things that they found out were just becoming more popular as more evidence backed it up. I also liked how you mentioned Mary Wollstonecraft and getting more people involved in women’s rights. It all started with a couple people taking a stand for their beliefs to start this movement.
In the end of 17th century to 18th century emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science, and a respect for humanity.The age of enlightenment or "new" ides and "new science" was at its peek.The age was enormously affected by Isaac Newton's discovery of universal gravitation.People believed if they could unlock the laws of nature why couldn't they unlock the proof of god or the biblical passages. Many people then started questioning the church ways and their so called "faith" in god.Although they saw the church,especially the Roman Catholic church as the ethic force that had deprived the human mind in the past, most Enlightenment thinkers did not renounce religion altogether. They just simply turned to deism wich is the beleif of the existance of god as the creator but not following the bibles ways.I strongly beleive that the statement is indeed true.
The statement is valid in that the scientific method was applied in various ways. Galileo and Newton discovered shocking truth of the universe that astounded many others. Francis Bacon's empirical method was to observe then conduct an experiment. Their revolutionary discoveries allowed others to ask questions and find out the truth themselves. In applying the scientific method to everyday life, scientists often gathered to discuss the works of another and used it to their advantages. When the enlightenment ideas improved society, society improved medical practices. Without less people dying and longer life span, the economy would improve, thus the industrial revolution would be born.
CarriejwC: Yes indeed i agree that the scientific discoveries that Galileo and Newton made bewildered many people. Galileo learned that a pendulum took the same time to make a long swing as it did to make a short one. He showed that light objects fell as fast as heavy ones when pulled toward the earth,in this case he discovered gravity.Newtons discoveries as well as Galileo astonished many,he discovered gravitational force and established the three Universal Laws of Motion. By tying these discoveries to the work of Johannes Kepler and his Laws of Planetary motion, he established classic mechanics, the beginning of modern Physics. These discoveries not only raised eyebrows but raised questions concerning the church. Many people now wanted the truth and felt betrayed by their god,church and questioned their own faith.This all affected society ways.
LilyL: I agree with Lily. Since Galileo confirmed the heliocentric idea with evidence, the Church realized the contradiction could create an issue for them. The church was afraid of losing followers' faith and power, so they silenced him by putting him on house arrest. Even though the church had tried to contain his ideas, it was still spread out. When others found out that the church had been wrong, they started to look for answers and truths themselves. Using Bacon's inductive method, many had used it to their advantage to find the truth.
Sarah:
I also agree with Sarah. The Scientific revolution did influence the Enlightenment heavily. The success in bringing notice to the importance of observing and questioning led philosophical and political thinkers to voice their ideas to the public. Voltaire had given his perspective of the church despite the fact that he may be persecuted for it. He pointed out the errors of the church which proved him to be skeptical of the church.
In the eighteenth century there was a major shift in society due to new ideas and discoveries and determining what was correct. Before this time there was not much evidence to back up theories of how the world came to what it was, why things that come up do come down, people were more ignorant in this time, that is until questions were being asked and new answers were becoming discovered. Philosophers and their discoveries would soon become the main answers to these people's questions. Philosophers such as Isaac Newton's discoveries set society in a whole new way of thinking. Soon the technology would be great contrast from years before. Due to the philosophers this whole scientific revolution also caused an effect on the churches and their power began to downgrade due to the fact more answers made sense and people began questioning more and more of what their lives were brought up by believing the church.
Danielle I agree with you most definitely on the science aspect. Although there was stated that they did in fact have music as a fine art. Not as how music has been now of course but as an art it did indeed have an influence on the society. The ares were also very responsive to scientific influence.
Mac I agree with you 100 percent on each aspect. I like how you mentioned about the people beginning to doubt the gods after this. Society beginning to doubt the churches in my opinion is one of the most major effects aside from the new discoveries of course. But the fact of people in this time period life completely altered due to this.
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