Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh heavier than lead, and with their wings exceedingly small. He did not, and that ought to show something. It is only in order to shield your ignorance that you put the Lord at every turn to the refuge of a miracle. (Galileo Galilei)
Thinking about the musings from Day 70: Rest…Relax…Reflect.…
I would suggest to you that although the Scientific Revolution was more diverse than just astronomy, from a student perspective taking AP World History, the content is actually quite narrow in scope. The focus for the Scientific Revolution includes the following:
1) The scientific field of astronomy, and more specifically, Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model of the universe;
2) The years covered are from roughly 1543-1727 and;
3) The scientists of note are: Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galilei and Newton.
For more details regarding the content covered regarding the Scientific Revolution, please refer back to the following posts:
Day 67: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1.;
Day 68: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – (Part 2). and;
Day 69: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – Conclusion.
So the question that needs to be asked is this:
Is there more to discover in the realm of science beyond the Scientific Revolution?
The short answer is…yes.
In class, I refer to it in class as:
The Scientific Revolution – Part 2.
After finishing up the basic facts regarding what transpired in the field of astronomy, (and anatomy, for the students taking my Advanced Placement European History class), I continue on for several minutes briefly bringing up the following 3 individuals who I group together, to create what I like to call the Scientific Revolution – Part 2:
1) Sigmund Freud;
2) Albert Einstein and;
3) Charles Darwin.
I now wish to submit to you, a brief summary of Sigmund Freud, whose ideas begin what I refer to as The Scientific Revolution – Part 2:
Sigmund Freud…Czech Republic…1856-1939.
Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis. Wishing to treat what he considered ‘nervous disorders’, Freud came to the conclusion that at that time, there were only two means of doing so:
1) Electrotherapy and;
2) Hypnosis.
Freud believed that it was the unconscious mind that drove human behaviors. His ideas were put together in his book released in 1900 called The Interpretation of Dreams. Freud came to the conclusion that dreams were the answer to unlocking the unknown in the unconscious mind.
Freud divided the human mind into 3 parts:
1) Id;
2) Ego and;
3) Superego.
Id. This is the unconscious part of the human mind, which is focused on basic needs, urges and desires. Based off of the ‘pleasure principle’, Freud claimed that the id demands immediate gratification, by any means necessary. The id operates under a ‘I want it now!’ principle.
If left unchecked, the id would ruin society as we know it as humans, driven only the id would descend into chaos, anarchy and lawlessness in an effort to satisfy these basic needs.
Ego. This is the conscious mind where reason and mediation exists to keep the id in check. Based off of the ‘reality principle’, Freud claimed that the ego applies reason to satisfy the needs, urges and desires of the id. The ego operates under a ‘Plan first.’ principle, as it tries to deal with the realities of real world experiences and consequences to the actions of the id.
The ego is in constant conflict with the id as it is constantly compromising and delaying gratification in order to avoid the negative consequences of societal norms and customs.
Superego. This is the semi-conscious mind where the experiences of the values and morals of society are accumulated from their parents and other influential members of society from ages 3 to 5. The superego operates under a ‘You can’t have it, it is not right.’ principle, trying to control the id’s impulses, while at the same time persuade the ego to engage in goals that are morally acceptable rather than achieving a realistic end that may or may not be acceptable to the society’s norms and customs.
The big take away from all of this is the following…
All the actions of the Id, Ego and Superego are all occurring at the subconscious level….
And most of the time, you don’t even realize it.
Freud was born to Jewish parents in a majority Roman Catholic region in the Austrian Empire. In 1925 at the age of 69 Freud said the following regarding his Jewish heritage:
“My language is German. My culture, my attainments are German. I considered myself German intellectually until I noticed the growth of anti-Semitic prejudice in Germany and German Austria. Since that time, I prefer to call myself a Jew,”
Despite this claim regarding Judaism, Freud considered religion to be an illusion, a form of neurosis, and an attempt to gain control over the external world. Freud also suggested that “religion is an attempt to get control over the sensory world”.
Freud saw God in these terms, adults view god the way children view their parents….
So, I guess, when someone says that they are losing their mind…are they losing their Id, Ego, or Superego?
I guess a student of Psychology and more specifically Freud, may wish to try to answer that question. However for us, a more important question would be the following:
What about Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin?
Albert Einstein will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to wrap your head about the Scientific Revolution, Part 2 and how it relates to, if at all, to the Holy Bible. Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to understand the possible links between Freud and the Holy Bible. Instead, embrace the idea that as you learn more about these individuals, embrace the idea that as you gain more context and background knowledge regarding their impact in the realm of science, and that at some point, it all will eventually come full circle regarding the Holy Bible…and science.
31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:31 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 71: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: