The European Scientific Revolution in Global Perspective

1. The European Scientific Revolution in Global Perspective Readings: http://faculty.fullerton.edu/nfitch/history110b/scitech.html

2. China

3. European Science • Was related to the Greeks • Much of it was preserved in Alexandria by people from the Middle East • Euclid –worked on geometry

4. European Science (continued) • Ptolemy worked in Astronomy • He was heavily influenced by Babylonian Astronomy • Galen worked in Medicine. • All incorporation of Mesopotamian sources into Greek sources

5. Middle Ages • Science of Ancient World was preserved by Islamic Scholars • Islamic Societies are known as the great Synthesizers • Decimal System was from India • Paper came from China which meant math could now be done on paper

6. Mathematics and Science • Al-Khwarizmi was a central Asian mathematician and philosopher. • Trigonometry came from India • Fibonacci studied Persian texts

7. New Information • Copernicus’ model of lunar motion same as Ibn al-Shatir (Damascus, 1375) • Copernicus’ descriptions of motions of other planets same as two people—Mu’ayyad al-Din al-’Urdi (Damascus, 1266) and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (Mongol, Central Asia 1274

8. What happened? • Europe began to see and think differently than the rest of the world • Development of Perspective Drawing, which was critical for machine making. • Brunelleschi was an Italian artist who studied Arab science. • Alberti, another Italian artist, in 1453 developed math and geometry of linear perspective.

9. Leonardo Da Vinci • Think of him as an artist however he studied everything in order to paint it. • He saw himself as more of an engineer than a painter. • He used perspective to draw machines.

10. Rise of Science in Europe • Brought sciences and artisans together in Royal-sponsored Scientific Academies • The rise of the “Public Sphere” • Ultimately led to application of science to technical problems. • New machines came to be and new sources of power. • These new things lead to more advanced weapons and other tools.

11. Scientific Inventions

12. Advanced Weapons

13. What was the response • After Newton, science in Europe was not as linked to religion as it once was. • Islamic Societies had a hard time with the new science. It was not consistent with the Qu’ran like Greek science. But, the idea of the sun at the center of the universe was not a crisis as it was for Western Europe • Arab science lags behind western science into the 19th century largely because of influence of conservative ulama, who believed God punishing Arabs for seeking the secrets of divine truth.

14. What was the response in China? • Jesuits like Ricci tried to impress the Chinese with mechanical toys, European science, and clocks • Chinese were not interested in western science or technology. They did not see the point to it –though they let Jesuits run their observatories because of the accuracy of their astronomical predictions

15. Kaozheng • New Chinese intellectual movement of the Qing Dynasty • “Seek truth from facts” • Precision, accuracy, and rigorous analysis to understand any problem • Revival of ancient Chinese mathematical texts • Partly to show that Western science derived from traditional Chinese mathematics

16. Japan’s Response • “Eastern Ethics and Western Science” • Allowed Dutch one trading port—imported many European books, especially science, medicine, and mathematics • They recognized the significance of western science and technology, but understood it in the context of a Confucian culture