The Scientific View of the World

1. The Scientific View of the World

2. 17th C, a Century of Genius • Consequences of the Scientific Revolution • -Changed the size of populations • -Changed the use of raw materials • -revolutionized production, transportation,war

3. Science before the 17th • DaVinci – dissected human body • Knowledge of anatomy • Drew designs for submarines, airplanes • A lot of his work remained unpublished – he was an artist

4. Europe beginning to be very thoughtful – on the other hand a great deal of skepiticism • Think back to Descartes and Bacon

5. Scientific Revolution • Conception of the Cosmos – Ptolemy • Universe made up of spheres – crystals • All revolved around the earth • Nearest the earth was the sphere of the moon • Beyond the sphere of fixed stars lay Empryean • Home of angels and immortal spirits

6. Nicolas Copernicus • 1473-1543 • “Revolution on the Heavenly Orbs” • Argues that the sun is the center of the Universe • All could be solved through mathematics

7. Johannes Kepler • Carried the Copernican theory one step farther • He discovered the orbit of the planets • Elliptical

8. Galileo • 1564-1642 • 1609 – he built a telescope • Observed the moon and argued it was not an orb • Looked to have a mountainous surface

9. He also argued that the moon reflected the sun, different phases of reflection • Not itself a luminous object • Made up of earth like substance – and maybe all of the planets • Gravity test – 10 lbs ball and 1 lbs ball from leaning tower of Pisa

10. Achievements of Newton • Universal Gravitation • -tides could be understood and predicted • Naval and merchant ships could operate with more assurance • 1st time, accurate idea of shape and size of all the continents

11. Developed ideas and calculus • -curves and trajectories • Lead to efficiency in artillery • Consequence- made military budgets increase • Lead to increased taxes • Increased firearms led to increased efficiency in insurrections • Led to increased strength of state

12. This gave Europe an advantage over other nations • Development of Steam Engines • Led to increased industrial and agricultural production

13. Another consequence – Everything seemed possible to humans • -they all continued to believe in the existence of God – but dependency on Divine Powers began to disappear • Greatly secularized European Society • New School of Political Thought develop – School of Natural thought and the Enlightenment

14. Political Theory • Cannot be treated as science • Science deals with what does exist, political theory deals with what OUGHT to exist • We always deal with what ought to happen

15. Machiavelli • Original thinker to propose what ought to exist • He separated himself from the moral and theological philosophy, and dealt with politics • He described how rulers and governments ought to actually behave • We saw this – wearing masks

16. He separated himself from moral philosophy, and took a scientific approach to politics

17. Natural Right and Natural Law • Focused on the question of what is right? • Natural law – in the structure of the world, there is a law that distinguishes right from wrong. • Right is natural, not a human invention • This right is not determined , for any country, by its heritage, traditions, or customs • Not determined either by actual laws (positive laws)

18. Positive laws can potentially be unfair or unjust • We compare positive laws with what we know about natural laws • Ie, we know cannibalism is bad, and forcing orphaned children to work in mines is unjust

19. Natural law is not determined by one person, a king cannot determine what is right or wrong • They are universal, the same for all

20. How do we discover natural law? • We discover it by reason • People argue that all people are rational • Idea of natural law and faith in human reason go hand in hand • Good example of this is international law, which argues that all countries should work together for a common good

21. Hobbes and Locke • Natural law has been used to justify both constitutionalism and absolutist governments • These forms of government were found to be a means to an end • How to best obtain natural laws • Hobbes – absolute monarch • Locke -Constitutionalism

22. Hobbes • Argued that human beings have no capacity for self government • View of human nature low • State of nature – quarrelsome and turbulent • “life in the state of nature was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” • From fear of each other, and to obtain order, people came to form a contract

23. Individuals surrender their freedom of action into the hands of a ruler • This ruler must have unconditional and absolute power • This to maintain order

24. No one can question the government, this would open the door for chaos again • Leviathan • Absolutism would produce civil peace, individual security, and the rule of law • This was the only way to achieve natural law

25. John Locke • Government develops because humans are rational • Government also based on a contract • Better view of human nature • In the state of nature, people were reasonable and well behaved • Willing to get along with eachother

26. They also had a general idea of certain rights, life, liberty and property • Problem in the state of nature is people cannot protect all of their natural rights, specifically property • Set up government to protect this

27. Contract not absolute – people must be reasonable, and the government cannot break the contract • You have the right to rebel against it

28. Influences • Hobbes – absolute monarchs in France • Locke – American and French Revolution • Slavery