Task 2 - Through the lens of new science

Reasoning

Heliocentric model of the universe

Geocentric model of the universe (16th century)

Aristotle

elaborated by Ptolemy

Assumptions

Between the earth and the fixed stars are the seven wandering stars (Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn)

The earth is a sphere , if not one side of heavens would appear large

The earth is centre of the heavens

It has no motion of translation, if so objects would be thrown into the air

To explain strange movement: epicycles (Ptolemy)

Adopted by Catholic Church and the Islamic faith

Copernicus adopted the idea of sun as centre

Copernicus was afraid of publishing it because of church

Assumptions

Sun takes one year to move around the earth, the earth needs one day to turn around its own axis

Epicycles to predict movement

Sun as the centre of the universe

published 1543

Galilei (1564-1642)

uses telescope (1609) to proof Heliocentric model

Many more stars were visible to the naked eye

Surface of the moon was not smooth

Jupiter had four orbiting moons

The size of Mars and Venus appeared to increase and decrease in cycles

Church (institution) worked against Galilei

Evident was so convincing that the heliocentric view rapidly came to dominate astronomy

Factors that contributed to the scientific revolution

Demographic changes

Absence of stifling pressure from religion to authority

New inventions (mechanical clock, telescope, book printing)

The existence of universities and patronage

Massive enrichment from the Greek and Arab civilisation

Natural Philosophy became detached from the big philosophical questions

Factors that helped fledging science grow

The absence of a disaster

A benevolent religion

The establishment of learned societies

The new method of the natural Philosopher

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

New view of science

Claiming neither perception nor reasoning alone provides progress

reasoning and observation have to interact

perception is biased

to correct observation bias: structural observations

compares natural philosophers with craftsmen

natural philosophers must go from particulars (experiment) to axioms (generalizing)

inductive reasoning

Deductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning

conclusions are guaranteed to be true if the premises are right and the correct logical rules have been followed

used by Plato

Aristotle defined the syllogisms

conclusions are drawn on the basis of a series of converging observations

Jigsaw puzzle

beliefs were not random

beliefs were interrelated and interlocking

beliefs at the periphery (e.g. there are five planets) could be removed more easily than in the centre

core belief: Earth as the centre of the universe

Science as natural philosophy

explanining and understanding nature

Instrumentality

practical efficacy of scientific theories

component of science, distinguishable from its natural philosophy

in modern science: can be represented as natural philosophy or instrumentality, but not both simultaneously

Rise of modern science

Characteristics

Is experimental

Favors a mechanistic world picture

Acknowledges no authorities except that of nature itself

Describes natural things in mathematical terms and to quantify things

Mechanicism

Social changes of 15th and 16th century

Seeing a living being as analogous to mechanisms

Conclusion

Mechanization as one characteristic feature of its rise

organistic view of world

goes against mechanistic view

Zeitgeist

Impiricism

Rationalism

Decartes

Dualism

Mechanistic view