HIS 276 Final Reflection

Kennedy St. Pierre

HIS 276

8 December, 2023

Throughout the second half of this semester, we learned about many different discoveries that were made during the scientific revolution including: Descartes who believed that the more he learns the less he knew and doubted everything. Bacon who relied on senses and used inductive reasoning. The heliocentric system and the Copernican system. Galileo’s telescope which helped discover the ‘heavens’ are not perfect as not everything circled Earth and the moon had valleys, craters, and mountains so it wasn’t smooth. Galileo used empirical reasoning. We learned about Africa’s science which had to do with pottery, crafts, experimentation and innovation. We learned about the beginning of shifting from religious values becoming more private instead of being taught in schools.

This content is relevant to me because these discoveries paved the way for more discoveries such as the discovery of the atmosphere which allows us to breathe. The discovery of gravity which explains why things fall down and why we don’t fly or fall off the planet. Also, the gravitational pull that the moon has on the tides which affects beaches and reefs as well as many jobs today like clamming or looking for oysters. The scientific revolution changed the way people saw science, instead of using guesses and assumptions and beliefs, we now use testable theories that can be proven or disproved.

This course has offered many different ways to test my knowledge and I have thoroughly enjoyed the different methods. By taking notes on the readings and the discussions I am held accountable for doing the work which is a great help as a student to make sure I don’t slack off. Taking quizzes helps see how much information has been retained. Writing and correcting essays see how much information you really learned so far and make sure that it is accurate and how you and other people can improve. I think I have done a good job with each of these. I think I have done a good job contributing to class discussions as a whole and as individual groups. These discussions will help me feel more confident confiding or talking in groups in other classes or in future real-life situations.