Second Lecture

After the second lecture on the topic of Philosophy and more reading of Bertrand Russel - History of Western Philosophy, I have begun to understand the chapters 1-9 in book 3 more greatly. The beginning chapter explains the diminshing authority of the Church and the increasing authority of Science. The States and their governmental authority were beginning to over power the Church.
The difference between the authority of Science and authority of the Church became clearer as the authority of Science is intellectual not governmental.

The chapters continue to explain in greater detail the important period of the Renaissance which began in Florence, Italy. The Medici family ultimately became the rulers of Florence, they began as political bosses on the Democratic side. They understood how to make Florence rich as well as themselves and under them the city began to prosper.

The power of the Church was becoming less significant and new greater achievements were increasing. Artistc developments were portrayed through the work of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Their forms of art and styles of paintings began to show realistic figures and great detail which portrayed the feelings and emotions of people.

After reading through book 3, chapters 1-9, I have found that the History of Science in the Renaissance, also referred to as a "scientific revolution", produced significant changes in the ideas of the Universe and also the methods Philosophers used to explain the surrounding nautral phenomena.

Machiavelli, a scientifc political philosopher, remarks that "all armed prophets have conquered and unarmed ones have failed". His book, The Prince, defines how principalities are won, how they are held and how they are lost. It claims "a ruler perish if he is always good; he must be as cunning as a fox and as fierce as a lion."

The Rise of Science begins in the seventeenth century, with great names such as Copernicus and his devotion to astronomy. His theory was only an hypothesis and contradicted the bible. Galileo, however, first discovered the law of falling bodies. Galileo proved by experiment that there is no measurable difference between large and small lumps of the same substance, as before his time it was believed by assumption that a large lump of led would fall much quicker than a small one.

Measurements were not as accurate as they are modern day, but Galileo found the true law of falling bodies proven by experiment and since then, experiments have continued to result in greater true findings and lead to explanations for natural phenomena.