TheScientificRevolutionAspirationsAchievements
The scientific revolution : Aspirations and Achievements (James R. Jacob)
- Acording to Aristotle, it is a matter of observation that the heavens never change. They must therefore be composed of an oncorruptible 5th element: ether.
- An argument agianst Aristarchus' helocentric model was that the stars were always observed to be in the same position relative to the earth at all times of day and year => earth doesnt move. Aristarchus countered that the stars are infinitely far away.
- The stoics were rigidly deterministic.
- Three developments that encouraged the skeptics: The reformation / the discovery of the new world / recent publication of ancient texts of skeptics
- Astronomers observed a bright new star in 1572 and a new coment 5 years later. In both cases, careful observation made it clear that these phenomena were super lunary.
- Mersenne posulated (for 1st time) that the workd can usefully be concieved of as a machine whose working is to be explained mathematically.
- Descartes 1st to arrive at the principle of inertia.
- Descartes had a (deeply flawed) model of the behavoour of stars and planets that was truly mechanical.
- In the second half of the 17C England was transformed from a hereditary monarchy into a constitutional government in which King was limited by Parliament.
- Boyle described experiments that failed.