This is the 4th lecture of [[Stephen Hicks]]'s [[PA Philosophy of Education]] course on [[Peterson Academy]], Year 1642: - Galileo died - Isaac Newton born The 1500s (1500-1599) was a century of massive change. 1500 is often the demarcator between the pre-modern and the modern. 1492 was when Columbus crossed the ocean and back. In year 1517, Martin Luther caused large waves. There is decline in feudalism, breaking down of class, and reintroduction of Greco-Roman models. Seeds of the industrial revolution started to bud, with inventions of all sorts of machines. There is great development in the Sciences. Astronomy is articulated as a science. Anatomy is being studied in terms of cause and effect. Slavery comes into scrutiny for the first time in history. Along with the flattening of power structures, is an increase in individual responsibilities. >[!quote] "If the student embraces the opinions of Xenophon or Plato by his own reasoning, they will no longer be theirs but his... Who follows another, follows nothing." —Michel de Montaigne, *On the Education of Children* Education in this era is understood to be for the betterment of this world, not the next. >[!quote] "Knowledge is power." —Francis Bacon. Galileo was interested in the nature of the heavens. The Scientific Revolution brought science and its implied empirical supremacy alongside causing a conflict. Science, with Galileo at its forefront, observed and made judgements about his observations. Faith made scriptural based injunctions before seeking out observations that confirm those injunctions. In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter defending science. Galileo argued against a literal interpretation of the Bible. The antropomorphizing of God is one of the examples he takes up to show that a literal reading of the Bible does not work. Figurative and metaphorical language is used in the Bible in order for the layman for understanding spiritual truths. He argued that the Bible is about spiritual matters—the soul's union with God, and thus attempts to gain some distance from the physical sciences. In doing so, he is trying create a division between science and religion.[^1] He argued that God wrote two books, one in the form of the Bible for spiritual matters, and the other in the form of natural phenomenon, which ought to be studied as the separate discipline of Science. A correct interpretation of both Scripture and nature would show harmony — that is his view of science vs religion, and the assumption made in all his further work. Making mistakes is part of the human process of finding that correct interpretation. Galileo also argued for the divinity of human reason. It is religious to think and ask questions as those are God given capacities. It is as if he is reversing what it means to be heretical. This means tolerance over torture when it comes to ideas. The seeds of intellectual tolerance are planted. Space is made for Science, so is tolerance for other religions. >[!quote] "A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in the world." — John Locke In contrast to Plato and Augustine who see the body and the mind as opposites, John Locke saw them as integrated. Including that, here are Locke's main talking points in his thoughts concerning education: 1. The body and the mind as integrated 2. Happiness being of one's own making (agency over fate) 3. Flexibility of children minds (blank slate) 4. Care for the body, and then the mind 5. Vouching for discipline, but against severe punishment 6. Teach by example, not by rules 7. Learning as a form of play, and should be fun His proposed curriculum includes, interestingly, dancing. It teaches bodily control, but also oddly (as he acknowledges) confidence in children. [[Stephen Hicks]] also notes that dance involves learning about manners, and engaging in ritualistic sociable play from a young age. On caring for the individual vs caring for the whole, Locke is against a one-size-fit-all recipe, and hence sways the other way arguing for customizing education plans for the individual. Practically, that would be met with constraint of resources, and the incapacity of caretakers. --- Back to: [[PA Philosophy of Education]] Previous Lecture: [[Renaissance Educational Visions]] Next Lecture: [[Romantic Educational Visions]] [^1]: Sounds like a primer to John Locke's division of church and state.