Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11WOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONEFFECT ON WOMEN Little change in views of women’s inferiority or restriction of women’s roles In many ways, may have deepened inferiority & restrictions But women participated in new scientific discoveriesWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONHUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY Persistence of ancient ideas Aristotle, Hippocrates & Galen• “Four humors”• Misconceptions about female physiologyWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONHUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY New views & discoveries Greater accuracy in understanding female anatomy Led to notion of pervasiveness of gender differencesWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONWOMEN IN SCIENCE MARIA CUNITZ (1604-1664)  Made important discoveries in astronomy Proficient in 7 languages, mathematics, medicine, history, music, painting & poetry Crater Cunitz on VenusWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONWOMEN IN SCIENCE MARGARET CAVENDISH (1623-1673)  Wrote 7 works of science & philosophy Promoted individual rational capacityWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONWOMEN IN SCIENCE ANNA MARIA VAN SCHURMAN (1607-1678)  Widely renowned for knowledge Promoted women’s education for moral improvementWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONWOMEN IN SCIENCE EMILIE DU CHATELET, (1706-1749)  First (and only) to translate Newton’s work into French Published own original works building on Newtonian ideasWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONPERISTENCE OF OLD BELIEFS Witch Hunts  15th - 18th centuries: @ 100,000 executed for witchcraft SABBATS, ritual murder, cannibalism Demons, devilsWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONPERISTENCE OF OLD BELIEFS Witch Hunts  82% of accused = women Targets =• non-conforming women• marginalized women• midwives  Accusations included strong sexual componentWOMEN AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONPERISTENCE OF OLD BELIEFS Witch Hunts  First conducted by religious authorities Process taken over by secular courts by 17th c. Used torture to extract “confessions”“Witch chair”“Water