Natural Philosophy

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the lives of six of the most notable philosophers: Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Rene Descartes, William Harvey and Robert Boyle. The paper discusses how the discoveries and teachings of these natural philosophers in the seventeenth century was the beginning of a scientific revolution that opened the door to the technology used today. The paper shows how by means of experimentation, observation, rational and educated calculations these men managed to discover many truths in the world in the early 1600s that are still held to be true today.

From the Paper:

"The early 1600s was a time of scientific research, discovery, and innovation, taking place primarily in Western Europe. This development in science spanned many years, and was responsible in it's entirety by the brilliant minds of the era. These scientists were known as natural philosophers; however the work done by many of the scientists was an early form of physics, although physicists did not exist at that time. Natural philosophy was the study of the nature and physics of the universe from a scholarly point of view to explain the causes, effects, and events that occur. The philosophers of the time focused their interests on things that they interacted with regularly, such as astrology, biology, chemistry (or alchemy), and the forces of motion. Natural philosophy was paving the way throughout this era, though it was characterized differently as time passed."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Galileo Galilei, <http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/galileo/>
• Peter Dear, 2001, Revolutionizing the Sciences, Princeton: Princeton University Press
• Rene Descartes, The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, <http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Descartes.html>
• Robert Boyle, The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, <http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Boyle.html>

More papers on Natural Philosophy:

• Essay # 41914 : "Natural Philosophy"
• Analytical Essay # 117437 : "Cavendish's Natural Law"
• Essay # 137638 : "Analyzing the Function of Reasoning Versus Nature in Rousseau’s Concept of Human Freedom"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: