This is an essay question for my exam tomorrow.....the hell?
2. Rationalism vs. Empiricism in 16th-17th C. Science
Explain the tenets of rationalism. Explain how Descartes’ scientific method and physics exemplify rationalism. Compare and contrast the tenets of rationalism with the tenets of empiricism. Explain the scientific method advocated by Bacon and how it exemplifies empiricism. Illustrate the various steps of the Baconian method, or departures from it, with examples from 16th-17th C. science, in the work of Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe, Kepler, and/or Newton. Be sure to explain Descartes’ and Bacon’s views on the role, if any, theology should play in science.