The Scientific Revolution (2011) Chapter Two: The connected world

The following should guide your reading, note taking, & studying. Students who can answer these questions in their own words without simply copying information from notes will show their understanding of the chapter.

Big Picture Questions [21-26]: 1) What did studying the world mean to early modern thinkers (different from modern scientists)? 2) The main sources of the concept of a tightly-connected & purposeful world (Plato & Aristotle, Christian theology)? 3) What are the macrocosm & microcosm (‘as above, so below’) and links to medical astrology? 4) What were the main ideas that comprised Aristotelian methods of obtaining knowledge (four “causes”)? 5) Examples of how early modern thinkers expressed an understanding of a connected world (see figure 1, p. 26)?

Terms to Know (in alphabetical order) [21-26]:

 Athanasius Kircher  doctrine of signatures  cosmos  Hermes Trismegistus  Neoplatonism  Marcilio Ficino  Robert Boyle  mundus archetypes  scala naturae  natural philosophy

PLEASE READ: If you take good notes, you should 1) know how to address the big picture questions. 2) know specific details regarding terms & how they connect to the big picture questions.

If you don’t do well on the open-note reading quizzes, then: 1) You simply are NOT reading or taking any notes. 2) You need to make adjustments or ask questions to improve.

Most correct responses on reading quizzes, but not all, will come from information included DIRECTLY on the study guides. Big Picture Questions [26-38]: 1) What is natural philosophy & how does it differ from modern science? 2) What was the goal of magia naturalis and why important to in history of science? 3) Medieval Aristotelian understanding of the properties of things (manifest & hidden qualities)? 4) How did early modern thinkers look for hidden connections (‘hidden knots’) in nature? 5) Practical applications of natural magic (“books of secrets”, web of correspondences)? Why shouldn’t natural magic be dismissed as entirely irrational or superstitious? 6) In what ways did religion motivate scientific investigation? Why is the notion of an epic battle between “science” & “religion” misleading?

Terms to Know (in alphabetical order) [26-38]:  St. Augustine  black bile  doctrine of signatures  four “humours”  Giambattista della Porta  magia naturalis  melancholy  Robert Boyle  spiritual magic  spiritus mundi  sunflower & sun  sympathy  Two Books