The Scientific Revolution Part 1
May 6, 2008 at 11:02 pm (The Development of Science: Professor Ian Slater)
Tags: agriculture, astronomy, navigation, mathematics, Bernal, Marxism, economic, economy, production, expansion, trade, planets, motion, venus, mars, jupiter, transformation, universe, Aristotelian, mechanics, capitalism, factors, sources, scientific, highlights, feudal, monarchy, bourgeoisie, technical, improvements, textile, markets, capital, investment, exploitation, slavery, serfs, proletariat, worker, alienation, capitalists, stage, historical, process, interrelatoin, importance of science, scientific revolution, authority, Nicholas Copernicus, Torun, Poland, De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium, problems, ptolemy, copernicus, spherical, earth, rotate, axis, retrograde, Tycho Brahe, Geocentric model, Johannes Kepler, Elliptical, orbit, non-uniform, velocity, sun, Galileo Galilei, instrumentation, Ptolemaic, moons, imperfections, phases, stars, Dispute, telescopic, observations, Church, copernicanism, Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, protestant reformation, reformation, status
The Scientific Revolution Part 1
- Bernal treats economic and political factors as the sources of the scientific revolution, not the context
- Bernal highlights the transformation of the Feudal economy
- Rise of monarchy and the bourgeoisie
- Technical improvements in agriculture and textile production
- Expansion of trade due to improvements in agriculture and navigation increases markets
- Capital investment in science and technology
Marxism in Theory
- Exploitation and the economy
- From slavery to serfs to the proletariat
- Capitalists own the means of production, worker alienation
- Capitalism is only a stage in a larger historical process
- Role of science and technology in this process
- Interrelation of scientific and economic changes
- Importance of science
- Economic transformation more important than scientific development (“possible and necessary”)
- Science is permanent, capitalism is temporary
- Practical and abstract elements of science merged in scientific revolution
- Economic and religious changes allow scientists to challenge ancient authorities
- Competing authority, not new authority
Astronomy and the Scientific Revolution
- Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), Torun, Poland
- De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium, 1543
- Problems with Ptolemy
- Copernicus:
Spherical earth, rotated on axis
Large Universe
Sun-Centred model
Mars and Venus
Retrograde motion - Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
- New star in 1572, comet in 1577
- Geocentric model that had all of the planets revolving around the sun, and the sun revolving around the Earth.
- Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), mathematician and a supporter of Copernicus
- Elliptical orbits and non-uniform velocities
- Galileo Galilei, 1564-1642, Many interests, mathematics, astronomy, mechanics, and instrumentation
- Telescopic observations produced criticisms of Ptolemaic and Aristotelian cosmology:
Moons of Jupiter
Imperfections on the moon
Phases of Venus
Planets and stars - Disputes over telescopic observations
- Church condemnation of Copernicanism in 1616
- Galileo was censured from holding, defending or teaching it.
- Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, 1632
- Protestant reformation and Galileo’s status
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