Key Figures in the Scientific Revolution

Hugo Grotius

A Dutch jurist who laid the foundations of international law derived from natural law. This Society doctrine would spread quickly throughout Europe.

Blaise Pascal

A French mathematician an philosopher who defended the scientific method and postulated stuff about fluids. His most popular works laid in the areas of math like his famous triangle. Pascal's law and his science of probability were also some of his crowning achievements.

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)

Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer. He was known for his very accurate records. He was also a man who observed everything carefully. He put lots of time into his work, and found 750 stars and charted their positions. Also supported the ideology of empiricism.

Thomas Newcomen

A British inventor who created the first practical steam engine. Improved ways of pumping water and improved mining industry.

Baruch Spinoza

A believer in Descartes's philosophy and an ally of the Cartesians. He promoted religious toleration and believed in bilateral theory of matter. He laid the groundwork for the enlightenment and the initial criticism of the Church. Although he was an ally of Descartes, he still disproved his mind-body dualism. He also wrote the Ethics.

Thomas Hobbes

A social contract theorist most famously known for his LEVIATHAN. He developed fundamentals of liberal thought and supported an absolute monarchy. His concept was that this person would restore order and would be chosen by the people. he is one of the founders of modern political science

Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris

Also had the patronage of the monarchy and enjoyed several luxuries that it provided. This institution was far less prolific and included a major social aspect rather than an intellectual one.

Edmond Halley

English astronomer most famously known for computer the orbit of HALLEY's comet. His works earned him the comparison of the "southern Tycho". He worked with Flamseed and dialogued stars.

John Locke

English philosopher who dictated that an absolute monarchy was not the way to go and that power should be controlled. He was a SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORIST who wanted equity of power within the citizens of a society

Royal Society

Formed under the patronage of Charles II and had a diverse membership of all classes and occupations. Various famous intellectuals came from here and it was a major institution of the time. In general it was also a very prolific institution.

Vesalius

Founder of modern biology. He published, "On the Fabric of the Human Body" and started studying with cadavers and dissection (a practice discouraged by the church)

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Francis Bacon was a English Philosopher. He was also a statesmen, jurist, and author. He was also an Attorney General and held the position of Lord Chancellor of England. He pursued science and his experiments in a systematic fashion. It was Bacon who redefined the scientific method and created a new era of observation EMPIRICISM

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Galileo was undoubtedly one of the greatest scientists of the scientific revolution. He was the first person to study the sky with a telescope. He discovered craters and mountains on the moon. He also found the moons that orbited Jupiter. He was also interested in how falling objects behaved, so he studied mechanics. Galileo also conducted experiments, wrote theories, and observed. Along with all his achievements, he even invented the thermometer.

James Watt

Inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on steam engine, and brought fundamental changes to Industrial Revolution. He also created the concept of horsepower and thus one of our units was named the Watt.

Robert Boyle

Irish philosopher who is widely regarded as the first modern chemist. Boyle explained the relations of substances and is popularly known for his law: Boyle's law relating P and V. Wrote the Skeptical Chemist and followed Bacon's principles.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Isaac Newton was a English Scientist. He published the book called Principia Mathmetica. He simplified the studies of other scientists. He reviewed practically everything other scientists studied. He made theories, which were proven so many times that they called them laws. He had 4 of these laws. The first was the law of gravity. The other three were the laws of physics and motion. He also invented calculus.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

Johannes Kepler researched to prove that planets orbited in a perfect circular shape. After careful observation, he found that the planets actually orbited in an elliptical or oval shape. He proved Copernicus was right. Well known for his laws of planetary motion. He also became the imperial mathematician.

John Napier

Mathematician and philosopher most famously known for discovering logarithms. He made common the use of the decimal point as well.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer. He wrote the book called On the Revolution of Celestial Spheres. This publish was what marked the beginning of the Scientific Revolution. He is specifically known for challenging the Aristotelian theories and provided proof of the heliocentric model of the universe. This challenged the structure of the status quo and caused a lot of controversy.

Pierre Bayle

Philosopher and writer (Protestant) known for his critical and historical dictionary. He advocated religious and cultural toleration and was a forerunner of the encylopedialists.

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Rene Descartes was a Dutch philosopher. He was also a mathematician and writer. He also was a scientist and believed that people should establish proof of the beliefs they had. He believed that things people believed should agree with the natural world. Started his research with "Cogito ergo sum" and derived much of his philosophy from that. He shared Bacon and Galileo's theologies but offered a different way to understand the universe. Sometimes considered father of modern philosophy.

Samuel Pufendorf

Revised natural law theories of Hobbes and Grotius. His political concepts were the basis for the American Revolution. Precursor to the Enlightenment in Germany.

William Harvey

Solved the riddle of Blood circulation, but in his theories he included the concept of the "spirit". Studied in the university of Padua. Wrote the De Motu Cordis - on the Motion of the Heart and Blood