Deck 17: A Revolution in Worldview

Question 1

The ancient most revered for his medical theories was

A)Aristotle
B)Ptolemy
C)Paracelsus
D)Galen
E)Aristarchus

Answer 1

Galen

Question 2

Discuss the dialogue between Faith and Science in this period.Were the two irreconcilably opposed? What challenges did science present to traditional religion? How did religion respond?

Answer 2

Students should demonstrate knowledge of key points of friction and convergence between science and religion, as well as being able to articulate the main challenges that the new science posed to traditional religious beliefs.Good answers will show a distinction between Catholic and Protestant responses, and will also be sensitive to the religious beliefs of many of the scientists themselves.

Question 3

How did religion and science's conflict over compatibility resolve itself?

A)The papacy always had the final word on the new revelations of science.
B)The scientific revolution did not go beyond the world of religion.
C)Confidence gradually grew in human reason's ability to explain the world.
D)The hierarchical nature of society in the Bible was never questioned.
E)Views of the cosmos began with Newton.

Answer 3

Confidence gradually grew in human reason's ability to explain the world.

Question 4

Some have characterized the mentality of the Scientific Revolution as one focused on how things operate in the natural world, rather than on why (the ultimate explanations that Greek and medieval scholars considered most important).Do you think this is a fair description of the change in scientific approach? Cite examples to support your opinion.How does Newton's work on gravity fit into your discussion?

Question 5

Summarize the political ideas of Hobbes and Locke.What are the main differences in their views of the state? Are there any similarities?

Question 6

What is "Hermeticism"?

A)A system for describing the orbits of planets
B)A system of alchemy
C)A system that describes all of reality as imbued with divine or magical spirits
D)The movement to fix the calendar
E)The Renaissance approach to science

Question 7

All of the following are true of Copernicus except that

A)his findings helped with calendar reform.
B)his work appealed to other astronomers in part because it was useful.
C)he stated that heliocentrism was a fact rather than a mathematical construct.
D)he did not resolve all the problems raised by his system.
E)he never asserted that the earth moved around the sun.

Question 8

How does the approach of Descartes to knowledge, summed up in "I think, therefore I am, " represent a departure from previous thinking, such as that of Aristotle? If Descartes rejects the data provided by the senses, what is he thinking about¾that is, where does the raw material of thought come from? How can he know that God exists? Some modern critics have seen in Descartes' method a tendency to imprison the thinker within his or her own mind, cut off from the real world and from other people.Do you agree?

Question 9

Like the Renaissance when patrons supported the arts, seventeenth-century monarchs became important patrons of the Scientific Revolution.How does Queen Christina of Sweden symbolize this?

Question 10

The origins of the 17^th century worldview lie mostly in the developments in

A)alchemy.
B)physics.
C)astronomy.
D)metaphysics.
E)None of these.

Question 11

Survey the development of astronomy prior to the sixteenth century.Include the theories of Greek astronomers, Renaissance ideas, and Neo-Platonism.

Question 12

The Scientific Revolution included

A)an implicit challenge to the traditional religious worldview.
B)a vision of an infinite but orderly universe appealing to reason.
C)a new, open-ended, experimental approach to knowledge.
D)religion becoming a subordinate ally of science.
E)All of these

Question 13

Compare and contrast the new scientific worldview with its medieval predecessor.

Question 14

Rulers were motivated to sponsor the new scientific advancements because of

A)mapping.
B)mining.
C)gunnery.
D)navigation.
E)All of these.

Question 15

The Neo-Platonists were

A)Founders of a new approach to science
B)Philosophers who emphasized abstract, particularly mathematical, knowledge
C)Experimental biologists
D)Astronomers looking to defend the geocentric system
E)Mystical adherents to a quasi-religious sect

Question 16

According to the Chronology Chart in this chapter, the first scientific academy of this period was founded in

A)Paris.
B)Copenhagen.
C)Rome.
D)London.
E)Cracow.

Question 17

Paracelsus stimulated innovative thought by rejecting the

A)ideas attributed to Hermes Trismegistos.
B)theory of chemical, rather than humoral, imbalance as the cause of diseases.
C)idea that the ancients were the ultimate authorities on natural phenomena.
D)idea that religious theory found in the Bible could be changed by scientific experimentation.
E)All of these.

Question 18

The creation of a more reliable calendar in the 16^th century was undertaken by

A)the papacy
B)the Lutheran Church
C)Tycho Brahe
D)the University of Paris
E)the English crown

Question 19

Progress in astronomy was encouraged by

A)the Renaissance recovery and reinterpretation of ancient texts.
B)the revival of Neo-Platonism.
C)the undermining of ancient knowledge with the discovery of the New World.
D)an open-ended experimental approach to knowledge.
E)All of these.

Question 20

Discuss what you consider the four or five main scientific discoveries mentioned in the chapter.Describe what each one was, who made it, and why you consider it important.

Question 21

What feature of Kepler's system eliminated the need to appeal to Ptolemy's epicycles?

A)Circular orbits
B)Elliptical orbits
C)Heliocentrism
D)His discovery of Jupiter's moons
E)His discovery of irregularities in heavenly bodies

Question 22

In the chapter feature, "The Written Record: Galileo Asserts Science and Religion are Compatible, " how does Galileo attempt to reassure that religion has not been hurt or destroyed by science?

A)God has set limits on human ingenuity and science cannot go beyond these.
B)Much of New Science can be found in the Bible.
C)The Bible has many interpretations.
D)The church has already established the limit of human ingenuity.
E)The papacy has an open-mind toward science and its results.

Question 23

Referring to the chapter feature, "The Visual Record: Modern Maps, " all of the following are true except

A)changes in mapping were the result of innovations learned from Renaissance art.
B)early maps were often decorated with pictures of ships and sea monsters.
C)linear prospective was not adaptable to map making.
D)Rhumb lines helped to navigate between two points.
E)information can be gained from maps.

Question 24

Which of the following is correct in studying information taken from Sidereus Nuncius?

A)Information was obtained through the use of a telescope.
B)Scant information addressed the moon and stars.
C)The moon had a smooth and uninterrupted surface.
D)Sunspots were regions of intense heat on the sun.
E)Material in the thesis was written in highly technical language and was incomprehensible to the lay man.

Question 25

Descartes' "corpuscles" were

A)a forerunner of modern atomic and quantum theories.
B)part of his radical dualism between body and soul.
C)central to a new theory of blood circulation.
D)his terms for the discredited theory of heavenly beings.
E)his mechanistic explanation of the universe.

Question 26

How does Descartes save the certitude of knowledge?

A)He comes to the conclusion that only God can guarantee the reasoning capacity
B)He distrusts the physical senses
C)He envisions the human mind as distinct from the world
D)He comes to the conclusion that an all-powerful God could not deceive
E)All of these.

Question 27

Tycho Brahe is known for

A)inventing and using the first telescopes.
B)proving that the earth moves around the sun.
C)compiling astronomical data that is still used.
D)compiling data that was used by Kepler to make his discoveries.
E)important astronomical data that often became obsolete after the use of telescopes.

Question 28

As the popularity of the new science spread, all of the following occurred except

A)governments came to actively support it.
B)private salons and academies fostered it.
C)science itself went through a process of professionalization.
D)the old worldview quickly faded out of existence.
E)royal courts housed wide collections of scientific marvels.

Question 29

What was a particular advantage of the early scientific "academies"?

A)They kept the new knowledge secret
B)They provided legitimacy and helped members to avoid distinctions of rank
C)They were funded by their own discoveries
D)They were eager to open their membership to anyone, even the lower class
E)None of these.

Question 30

What is Cartestian Dualism?

A)The contention of the existence of a Good and Bad God
B)Knowledge having its source in the mind and the senses
C)The divorce between faith and reason
D)The positing of a mind that is apart from, yet able to know, the world
E)The acceptance of mystery and mechanics together

Question 31

What was the Church's attitude towards Copernicus' work?

A)He was ignored since he was a Protestant.
B)He was condemned by the inquisition.
C)He was placed under house arrest for questioning theologians.
D)His work helped to stimulate the papal Gregorian reform of the calendar.
E)His heliocentrism was accepted as the normative doctrine by the Church.

Question 32

Scientific investigation in seventeenth-century England was

A)greatly retarded by civil war and political upheaval.
B)of little interest to influential people.
C)limited to military technology.
D)caught up in and stimulated by religious and political controversy.
E)personified by the life of Robert Boyle who was mainly interested in astronomy.

Question 33

Kepler's lasting achievement was

A)his quarrel with the king of Denmark.
B)the laws of planetary motion that are still in use.
C)the discrediting of Neo-Platonism.
D)his rejection of Copernican ideas.
E)the theory that planets traveled in circular orbits.

Question 34

What was the overriding theme of New Atlantis?

A)A focus on metaphysics and theory
B)A call to return to Plato and Aristotle
C)Arguing for a science that would tend towards the useful
D)A respect for nature and man's care for the natural world
E)A defense of deductive reasoning

Question 35

Galileo's importance lies in all of the following except

A)sufficient and irrefutable proof for Copernicus's heliocentric theory.
B)contributions to the development of a new physics.
C)a famous conflict with the Catholic Church.
D)evidence to support the Copernican theory.
E)the development of the science of physics.

Question 36

Blaise Pascal was known for all of the following except

A)rejecting scientific inquiry on Christian principles.
B)building a calculating machine.
C)inventing probability theory.
D)defending Jansenism.
E)"the heart has its reasons which reason knows not."

Question 37

The chief scientific contribution of Isaac Newton was

A)writing the first history of science.
B)mathematical computation of the laws of gravity and planetary motion.
C)resolving all remaining questions about matter and motion.
D)successfully changing metals into gold.
E)the study that proved that laws of motion did not apply to the solar system as thought by the Greeks.

Question 38

Who was Descartes' most famous patron?

A)Pope Urban VIII
B)Louis XIV of France
C)James I of England
D)Christina of Sweden
E)None of these.

Question 39

Which is not true of Francis Bacon?

A)He was the author of New Atlantis
B)He was Lord Chancellor under James I
C)He was one of the Fathers of the modern scientific method
D)He was known for conducting an array of experiments
E)He had a great interesting in gaining dominion over nature

Question 40

Which is not a focus of Robert Boyle?

A)The acceleration of the end of the world by means of science
B)A critique of the University system
C)The foundation of the Royal Society of London
D)A return to Aristotelian science
E)The combination of a mechanical universe, Divine providence, and scientific progress

Question 41

For Locke, what was the most fundamental right?

A)free speech
B)the ability to select and depose kings
C)right of assembly
D)private property
E)freedom of religion

Question 42

What was William Harvey's significant breakthrough?

A)The discovery of calculus
B)The theory of the circulation of blood
C)The idea that the lungs and heart cooperated to maintain the "heat" of the body
D)The view that the lungs are a bellows to heat the heart
E)He showed the possibility of surgery

Question 43

As the first modern, systematic skeptic, Pierre Bayle believed that

A)faith was more important than reason.
B)all human knowledge, both scientific and religious, is flawed.
C)silence is the only honest act a person can perform.
D)religion was flawed and truth lay only in science.
E)only Christians were moral beings.

Question 44

Baruch Spinoza was known for what?

A)Being an excommunicated Dutch Jew who argued for morality without a personal divinity
B)Being an experimental astronomer
C)Corresponding with Newton
D)Discovering calculus in tandem with Newton
E)None of these.

Question 45

The work of Harvey

A)represented a complete break with Galenic tradition.
B)continued Boyle's experiments with air pressure.
C)focused on the circulation of the blood and the heart as a pump.
D)inspired no new research.
E)was represented in a new technique that allowed for the study of tiny capillaries.

Question 46

Which of the following statements is not correct?

A)Copernicus was a Catholic clergyman whose heliocentric theory was quickly scorned by Lutherans.
B)The entire Cartesian process of reasoning about the world was grounded in Descartes' certainty about God.
C)The Catholic Church's firm response to Galileo was, in part, due to its experience with the Protestant Reformation.
D)The Catholic Church was uniformly against scientific progress, while Protestant churches uniformly supported it.
E)Governments recognized the potential of science and supported both pure and applied scientific research.

Question 47

By the second quarter of the 17^th century many astronomers accepted the heliocentric theory as reality and not just as useful mathematical fiction.

Question 48

What was the main significance of Isaac Newton's laws of gravity?

A)It definitively refuted geocentrism
B)It predicted as yet undiscovered planets
C)It refuted Aristotle
D)It created a single scheme establishing an orderly and mechanistic universe
E)It explained why objects accelerate

Question 49

Hobbes applied the new scientific paradigm and

A)viewed the state as a machine run by laws and the skills of the ruler.
B)developed a positive view of human nature and the ability of people to rule themselves.
C)drew analogies between the state and the human body.
D)concluded that ordinary citizens had to be restrained by laws and the authority and kept in their ranks.
E)All of these.

Question 50

The mechanistic worldview that emerged from the Scientific Revolution

A)posited that the entire universe functioned like a machine.
B)spread from physics to other scientific disciplines, such as chemistry and biology.
C)came to be used in the study of human society, such as politics.
D)when applied to astronomy, only came about after ancient and medieval study and errors had been disclosed.
E)All of these.

Question 51

The scientific approach of Andreas Vesalius

A)was the opposite of that advocated by Galen.
B)caused a revolution in chemistry.
C)involved dissection of human corpses.
D)was purely deductive and nonexperimental.
E)was halted when the church ruled against human dissection.

Question 52

The Church in the 16^th century played no role in the creation of a more reliable calendar.

Question 53

Which of the following rejected the action of God in creating the universe?

A)Copernicus
B)Descartes
C)Kepler
D)Newton
E)None of these.

Question 54

What was the result of the Galileo trial?

A)Galileo was acquitted.
B)Galileo was to recant his theory as a fact, and put under comfortable house arrest, to continue his work.
C)Galileo was punished by being forbidden to research.
D)Galileo was burned as a heretic.
E)None of these.

Question 55

All of the following are true of John Locke except that

A)he held that the state is based on a freely entered social contract between people and sovereign.
B)his emphasis on property rights included justification of slavery.
C)he agreed with Hobbes on human nature.
D)he held that knowledge is based on experience.
E)his theories are much more optimistic in terms of the ability of humans to reason.

Question 56

As the new science gained in prestige and became increasingly professional

A)women scientists found themselves marginalized.
B)women scientists became somewhat more prominent.
C)women remained totally irrelevant.
D)women scientists remained important but only in Scandinavia.
E)education for women was severely restricted by religious tradition.

Question 57

What is Newton's main mathematical contribution?

A)The development of the Cartesian plane
B)The introduction of algebra to the west
C)The development of Calculus
D)The description of chemical weight in alchemical experiments
E)None of these.

Question 58

What is the root of the state, according to Locke?

A)The Family
B)The King
C)The Parliament
D)A free individual, who enters a contract with other free individuals
E)The army

Question 59

What is the ideal state for Thomas Hobbes?

A)A pure democracy
B)A mixed state of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy
C)Parliamentary rule
D)An absolute monarchy
E)A theocracy

Question 60

Bernard de Fontenelle helped to usher in the Enlightenment by

A)being the greatest popularizer of the new science.
B)acting as Louis XIV's chief minister and director of the Academie des Sciences.
C)his relentless attacks on the Catholic Church.
D)his rigorous scientific investigation.
E)taking a negative view of a secular world.

Question 61

William Harvey's observations on the mechanics of the heart and lungs moved him to completely reject the Galenic theories about the "vital spirit."

Question 62

Scientific investigation was of little to no interest among the influential people of 17^th century England.

Question 63

Descartes was a French mathematician whose work emphasized skepticism and deductive reasoning.

Question 64

Brahe's work was vital in confirming mathematically the Copernican heliocentric hypothesis.

Question 65

Pope Urban VIII condemned Galileo's writings and withheld any support for his scientific work.

Question 66

The position that the state is a machine run by laws and the skills of the ruler was held by Spinoza.

Question 67

Locke believed that all human knowledge was based on experience.

Question 68

The earliest academy dedicated to science was the Accademia Segreta in northern France.