Experience the explosive transformation from medieval to modern world. The printing press democratizes knowledge, the Reformation shatters religious unity, and the Scientific Revolution reveals a universe governed by mathematical laws.
Integration Insight
Humanism, political realism, and drama flourish as mathematical precision reshapes worldview. The printing press enables both Reformation (sola scriptura) and Scientific Revolution (shared data). Mechanics and calculus redefine nature; Hobbes and Milton wrestle with determinism, freedom, and order.
**Printing Revolution (1450s)**: Gutenberg's press makes books affordable, spreading ideas rapidly across Europe
**Protestant Reformation (1517)**: Luther's 95 Theses challenge papal authority, emphasizing Scripture and individual conscience
**Scientific Method Emerges**: Bacon's empiricism and Descartes' rationalism create new approaches to knowledge
**Copernican Revolution**: Heliocentric model displaces Earth from center of cosmos, challenging ancient authority
**Age of Exploration**: Global trade networks connect continents, bringing wealth and cultural exchange
**Rise of Nation-States**: Centralized monarchies replace feudal fragmentation
**Mechanistic Worldview**: Newton's laws suggest universe operates like clockwork, raising questions about divine action and human freedom
Key Thinkers & Philosophers
Explore the foundational beliefs and highest goals of the great minds who shaped this era
Foundation
Human nature is constant and self-interested; fortune and virtù
Highest Goal
Political stability and power; glory of the state
Key Works
- The Prince
- Discourses on Livy
Foundation
Christian humanism; return to sources (ad fontes); reason and moderation
Highest Goal
'Philosophia Christi' - simple, ethical Christianity; peace and learning
Key Works
- Praise of Folly
- Greek New Testament
Foundation
Sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia; bondage of the will
Highest Goal
Justification by faith alone; freedom of Christian
Key Works
- 95 Theses
- Bondage of the Will
- German Bible
Foundation
Sovereignty of God; predestination; total depravity; Scripture alone
Highest Goal
Glory of God (soli Deo gloria); sanctification; godly society
Key Works
- Institutes of the Christian Religion
Foundation
Empiricism; inductive method; 'knowledge is power'
Highest Goal
Mastery of nature through science; human progress
Key Works
- Novum Organum
- The New Atlantis
Foundation
'Cogito ergo sum'; mind-body dualism; clear and distinct ideas; methodical doubt
Highest Goal
Certain knowledge through reason; mathematical understanding of nature
Key Works
- Meditations
- Discourse on Method
- Principles of Philosophy
Foundation
Heart vs. reason; human wretchedness and greatness; God of Abraham not philosophers
Highest Goal
Faith through wager; encounter with living God; humble submission
Key Works
- Pensées
- Provincial Letters
Foundation
Materialism; state of nature is war; social contract; absolute sovereignty
Highest Goal
Peace and security through powerful state (Leviathan)
Key Works
- Leviathan
Foundation
God or Nature (Deus sive Natura); monism; determinism; geometric method
Highest Goal
Intellectual love of God; freedom through understanding necessity
Key Works
- Ethics
- Theological-Political Treatise
Foundation
Empiricism (tabula rasa); natural rights (life, liberty, property); consent of governed
Highest Goal
Liberty, tolerance, and limited government; pursuit of happiness
Key Works
- Two Treatises of Government
- Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Foundation
Monads; pre-established harmony; 'best of all possible worlds'; principle of sufficient reason
Highest Goal
Understanding divine perfection; reconciling faith and reason
Key Works
- Theodicy
- Monadology
Foundation
Mathematical laws govern nature; universal gravitation; absolute space and time
Highest Goal
Understanding God's design through natural philosophy
Key Works
- Principia Mathematica
- Opticks