The great poets of the seventeenth century are noteworthy in their innovations in engaging with earlier literature to promote their own ideas. As we explore why they are still relevant, we'll also answer the following questions:

1. How did John Donne's love poems reflect the inward shift from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
2. What was particularly innovative about John Dryden's translation of Virgil's Aeneid?
3. How did Alexander Pope use poetry to transform the medieval story of Abelard and Heloise?

This week's episode of The Pillars is generously sponsored by Alex Bahary.

Many people know about Isaac Newton and his proverbial apple, but he and his contemporary, Leibniz, were responsible for a much wider array of scientific and mathematical advances. As we learn about these two thinkers, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions:

1. How did Isaac Newton build on the newer tradition of inductive reasoning rather than the older, scholastic method of assumptions?
2. According to Newton, how do the universal laws of nature bolster one's faith in and appreciation of God?
3. In what sense did Leibniz lay the groundwork for modern computers?

Recommended Reading: Newton, Isaac. Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. 1687.

There are some figures of the Scientific Revolution who stand out in the annals of history. As we study a few of those monumental figures, we'll explore the following questions:

1. Why did Copernicus dedicate his scientific book, On the Revolutions, to the pope?
2. How did Galileo mount a religious defense of Copernicus' heliocentric model of the solar system?
3. According to Bacon, in what sense did logic become a problematic discipline within the study of philosophy?

Recommended Reading: Copernicus, Nicholas. On the Revolutions. 1543.
Galilei, Galileo. Siderius Nuncius. 1610.
Galilei, Galileo. Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany. 1615.
Bacon, Francis. Novum Organum. 1620.

The Scientific Revolution will change the way humanity understands and relates to the natural world. As we learn more about this period, we'll uncover answers to the following questions:

1. How did the Scientific Revolution lead to an English sensibility that things ought to be useful?
2. In what sense did Newton's universal laws lay the groundwork for a decline in religious observance?
3. Why was the Julian calendar replaced with the Gregorian calendar during this period?

A series of wars in the eighteenth century will eventually lead to a recently-unified Britain as the new, dominant world power. As we move forward in history, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions:

1. How did the French and English responses to their respective financial crises pave the way for future English dominance?
2. Why were the wars of the eighteenth century characterized by fewer casualties overall than the wars of both prior and later centuries?
3. How did Maria Theresa manage to successfully raise a multi-ethnic army to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

As culture changed across Europe, social and economic expectations shifted accordingly. On today's episode, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions:

1. How did the growth of high culture lead to a decline in local dialects and a rise in vernacular languages?
2. Why was there a crackdown in the seventeenth century on carnivals and similar types of entertainment?
3. When it came to changing European diet and culture, why was sugar crucial?

While Poland will weaken and will eventually collapse, Austria, Prussia, and Russia will rise as they begin to consolidate power. To help us dive deeper into the topic, we'll address the following questions:

1. Why were Poland and the surrounding territories particularly conducive for Jewish life to flourish?
2. Even as European society modernized, why were Prussian aristocrats still drawn to military service?
3. Why had Russia historically been culturally distinct from western Europe, and why did Peter the Great attempt to westernize Russia?

The fields of modern mathematics and philosophy owe a great deal to René Descartes and Blaise Pascal. As we learn more about the two thinkers, we'll explore the following questions:

1. How did Descartes balance the tension between skepticism and certainty in his philosophical writings?
2. According to Descartes, why is it important to study foreign languages?
3. Why did Pascal sharply criticize Descartes' approach to reason?

Recommended Reading: Decartes, René. Discourse on Method.
Barzun, Jacques. From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life. New York: Harper Perennial, 2001.