Crash Course European History: The Scientific Revolution

Introduction

• Hosted by John Green.
• Previous bleak historical events: Black Death, 116 Years War, religious wars, Little Ice Age, witch hunts, Atlantic slave trade.
• Transition to the Scientific Revolution.
• The Scientific Revolution reshaped our understanding of the universe and led to undeniable progress.
• Humans historically did not expect better lives than previous generations; modern expectations are relatively new.

Break from Religious Teachings

• The Scientific Revolution challenged the Catholic Church's teachings.
• The Church taught geocentrism: Earth as the universe's center.
• New astronomers and mathematicians sought to reexamine these theories.
• Nicholas Copernicus published On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres (1543), proposing heliocentrism.
• The Church's reaction was negative; persecution of scientists who supported heliocentric ideas.

Key Figures and Developments

• Tycho Brahe: Discovered a new star (1572) and comet (1577), challenging the idea of a perfect universe.
• Johannes Kepler: Laws of planetary motion, elliptical orbits.
• Galileo Galilei: Developed tools, including a telescope; improved understanding of the universe; faced persecution.
  • Observation of Jupiter's moons and the Milky Way.
  • Condemned by the Church for supporting heliocentrism; recanted to avoid execution.
  • Recognized as the father of modern physics and science.

Scientific Method and Reasoning

• Scientists used experimentation and mathematical calculations to confirm/refute hypotheses, a revolutionary approach.
• William Harvey: Discovered the heart as a pump (mechanical view of the body).
• Astrology and mystical beliefs still held by some scientists.
• Francis Bacon: Propagandist for science; promoted inductive reasoning and the scientific method.
  • Write your own questions and experiments rather than relying on past accounts.

Philosophy and Reasoning

• René Descartes: Emphasized reason and questioning; "I think, therefore I am."
  • Prioritized doubt in the scientific method.
  • Developed deductive reasoning.

Isaac Newton and Universal Laws

• Synthesized previous findings into mathematical laws.
• Laws of motion, gravitation, and the universe as a machine.
• Interest in alchemy highlights pursuit of various leads in science.
• Published Principia Mathematica (1687).

Global Influence and Communication

• Contact with the wider world led to new scientific investigations.
  • Portuguese doctor Garcia da Horta and others explored plant use in medicine.
  • Quinine from South America advanced European explorations.
• Networks and communication (e.g., Royal Society of London) helped spread scientific ideas.
• Government support for scientific endeavors.
  • Royal Academy of Sciences (France, 1666).

Conclusion

• New scientists removed religious scriptures from astronomy and the heavens.
• Universal laws established by Newton.
• The scientific method established faith in rational powers of individuals.
• Less than 350 years after Galileo's observations, humans landed on the moon.

Additional Resources

• Check out other Crash Course series for more history and science topics.