Enlightenment Changed Thinking: Comparison Activity

The link between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment is important for students to understand when they're studying this time period. It is clear evidence that a way or method of thinking can have an impact on a wide variety of social issues. In this case, embracing logic and reason in science inspired a whole new way to look at government.

In this activity, students will create a T-Chart that provides examples of how old ways of thinking about science were transformed by reason and logic. The storyboard must have:

• Two columns: One labeled “Old Thinking” the other labeled “New Thinking”
• Three examples of old Scientific approaches that changed during the Scientific Revolution
• A fourth example that shows how applied logic and reasoning transformed government

Extended Activity

Students could create additional examples of political changes that happened as a result of reason. Students should also address the following question: "Why was the application of reason and logic to scientific problems easier than applying the same concepts to political and social problems?”