In many respects, Sir Isaac Newton, 1642-1727, was the bridge between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.  His successful attempt to discover and formulate laws of nature, such as the laws of motion and the law of gravity, inspired many of the philosophes and laid the logical basis for the Enlightenment.  If nature was governed by natural laws, then it could also be reasoned that man and society were governed by natural laws too.  If those laws could be discovered, then nature, man and society could be controlled and manipulated to allow society and mankind to prosper and flourish.  Thus, the general aim of the Enlightenment was progress and the consequent improvement of the human condition.

Some recommended online lectures and websites:

• The Scientific Revolution, Skip Knox
• The Scientific Revolution, Robert Hatch
• Lecture 10: The Scientific Revolution, 1543-1600
• Lecture 11: The Scientific Revolution, 1600-1642
• Lecture 12: The Scientific Revolution, 1642-1730
• Revolution of Astronomy by Copernicus
• Galileo Overthrows Ancient Philosophy
  
• Newton
  
• Birth of Modern Scientific Methods, Bacon and Descartes
  
• Newton's Dark Secrets:  Centuries-Old Manuscripts Reveal the Hidden Pursuits of a Scientific Genius
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant website for this unit of the course.
  Send the title of the site, the url and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied in this unit.