Technological Transformation, History

Write a thorough and thoughtful 300-word essay that addresses each item in one of the following question sets:

1. The progress of logic and knowledge of the physical world during the Scientific Revolution was constantly at odds with the oppositional force of religion and mysticism. How were average Europeans, and the scientists themselves, affected by the dilemma created by these forces?  
2. What were the conditions necessary to advance astronomical knowledge from Copernicus to Newton? How did they develop during the seventeenth century?
3. How do the following quotations illustrate the tension between science and religion in the Renaissance? How did new cosmological discoveries contribute to the establishment of the Church?
   • “The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go.” – Galileo Galilei
   • “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” – Galileo Galilei
4. One of our themes this semester is that before several transformations, people looked to the past in order to make sense of their universe; people lived in a world with little change; people were not particularly optimistic. All of this changed, however, over the course of several centuries. In the readings so far this semester, where do you see people beginning to look to other sources than an authority from the past; beginning to experience and expect more and more change in their lives; and beginning to expect the future to be better than the present? This question will appear again in Week 8.
   
   
5. Drawing on the readings, describe a day in the life of one of the following 16th-19th century people. You may use your historical imagination to prepare your post, but make sure you use the readings to provide evidence for the details you include in your account. You may cite from credible outside sources in addition to the required readings. Remember to cite the required readings at least 3 times.

1. Ruler
2. Church Authority – Protestant or Catholic – This can include a monk or nun, for anyone in the Church was seen as an authority by many in society.  
3. Intellectual – Scientist, Philosopher, Scholar, Writer, Musician, etc.
4. Merchant
5. Peasant / Farmer (The transition occurs in this period for most.)

Your Initial Post is expected to be a 300-word prose essay, with a thesis statement and 2-5 paragraphs supporting and explaining the thesis. Remember to base your response on information and analysis from the readings. Cite the required readings at least 3 times, and cite broadly from a broad range, not the same reading 3 times. Explain what you learned in your own words, and do your best to synthesize the authors’ analyses into your own original analysis; do not rely exclusively on quotations from the readings to make your points.

The initial response should be around 300 words and include a thesis statement and the 2-5 paragraphs. So, in other words you have a thesis statement, 2-5 paragraphs (initial response) and that should add up to approximately 300 words.

Weekly Reading Link below to help answer some questions above New Learning or Scientific Revolution?: Natural Philosophy from Galileo to Newton

Chapter 9 – New Learning or Scientific Revolution?

• Kepler’s Discovery

https://keplersdiscovery.com/

• Nicolaus Copernicus

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/copernicus/

• Galileo’s Place in Science

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/galileo-sobel/

• Newton’s Legacy

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/newton-legacy/

• Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology

https://history.aip.org/exhibits/cosmology/index.htm

• How Big is the Universe?

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/how-big-universe/