Key Concept 16: Natural Philosophers Who Persisted In Holding Traditional Views of Alchemy and Astrology

Johannes Kepler

(1571-1630) A German mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer who proposed that the planets moved in elliptical orbits and provided one of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation

Paracelsus

(1493-1541) A Swiss German scientist who studied a range of fields, from medicine and botany to alchemy, astrology, and philosophy; he believed in observation and common sense rather than pure scholasticism and following classical texts; he founded the study of toxicology, discovered and named Zinc, and created new methods to treat wounds

Gerolamo Cardano

(1501-1576) An Italian mathematician, biologist, physicist, chemist, astrologer, astronomer, philosopher, writer, and gambler who developed the theory of probability in order to aid his gambling pursuits; many of his discoveries were prompted by his life experiences (i.e. he studied medicine in order to aid his sick daughter); found roots of a cubic equation

Isaac Newton

(1642-1726) An English physicist and mathematician who laid the foundation for classical mechanics during the scientific revolution; his book, Principia, formulated the laws of motion and universal gravity, completely transforming scientists' views of the physical universe