Vocabulary
procedures p365
a series of steps taken to accomplish a task
hypothesis p366
a solution that the scientist proposes to solve a problem
Who was Francis Bacon?
an English philosopher who argued that science should be pursued in a systematic fashion
What is a hypothesis?
a solution a scientist proposed to solve a problem
What did Descartes ask?
What, if anything, can I know for certain?
principles p366
basic beliefs, rules, or laws
This scientist published his ideas in a book titled The Advancement of Learning in 1605
Francis Bacon
What is the scientific method?
a logical method for gathering and testing ideas about the world
How did the beliefs of Descartes differ from those of earlier European scholars?
Earlier scholars thought that knowledge begins with faith; Descartes said it begins with doubt
Why could he not rely on any information from his senses?
Senses can be misleading
Francis Bacon p364
an English philosopher who argued science should be pursued in a systematic fashion so human knowledge would continually advance
This person emphasized that people must use clear thinking and reason to establish proof
Rene Decartes
How did the ideas of Bacon and Descartes lead to the scientific method?
Bacon believed in observing the world to collect information about it and testing theories through experiments; Descartes believed in proving things by using reason. These ideas form the basis for the scientific method
How did the growth of science help lead to the growth of democratic ideas?
Logic, reason and laws of human nature led to new ideas about equality and democracy
Descartes said that every though, no matter how unreliable, proved what?
that he existed as a thinking thing!
Rene Descartes p365
French philosopher who believed that nothing should be accepted as true if it wasn't proven to be true
This method combines Bacon's idea of a systematic process and Descartes's insistence on proof and clear reasoning
The scientific method
What are the steps in the scientific method?
state the problem, gather information, form a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, record and analyze data, draw conclusions from the data
How did philosophers try to improve society?
by using logic and reason to solve problems in society and government
Even when he was dreaming, Descartes realized what?
That he could not claim absolute certainty
scientific method p365
a step by step method for performing experiments and other scientific research
In the scientific method, after stating a problem and gathering information you must form this
a hypothesis
How does the scientific method help scientists solve problems p366
It gives them a logical and rational method for solving problems
How were scientists and fundamental democratic ideas connected, according to philosophers of the Scientific Revolution?
If the natural world is governed by laws, human behavior may be governed by laws also, and perhaps all people are equal
What does Cogito Ergo Sum mean?
I think therefore I am