The Scientific Revolution was one of the most influential movements in history. It paved the way for modern scientific thought and a whole new way of thinking when it came to the state of nature and human nature itself. Leading off of the Scientific Revolution was the Enlightenment, where the scientific method held sway over not only science but philosophy. The motto of the Scientific Revolution, “knowledge is power,” describes the ever needful desire to attain knowledge about the world around us. Francis Bacon believed that knowledge gained through inductive reasoning (a means of seeking out truth through observing what is happening in the world and coming to conclusions based solely on those observations) was the greatest force of all, and had the power to eventually transform the human race. He also championed the idea that philosophy should be based off of reason and must be completely separate from religion. These ideas were the early steps toward shaping and establishing the scientific method. Descartes, a French mathematician and philosopher, went even further than Bacon in stressing observation and was one of the first efforts to apply the new method of scientific inquiry to philosophy and theories of knowledge. He stressed that a person’s senses can deceive them, and that even with observation and experiments, knowledge gained cannot always be trusted. Through doubt, for Descartes, was the only way that a person could gain absolute knowledge. To except any conclusion other than through the use of doubt and a strict process of verification, was folly. The only idea that he believed was valid, was that of the ability of one to doubt and therefore, exist. The phrase, “I think, therefore I am” was the solution ... ... middle of paper ... ...y different in ideology than the other Enlightened thinkers, Rousseau nonetheless, used the power of thought, knowledge, and doubt that was promoted during the Scientific Revolution. The main goal of the Enlightenment was to popularize the scientific method to be used to change the values and mindset of the western world. It was to use the Scientific Revolution as a basis to alter the study of human behavior—by studying it rationally. In continuation of popularizing the advance of science and philosophy, many works were translated and published in the vernacular so that as many as possible could be exposed to these ideas. The Scientific Revolution started with scientists and philosophers like Galileo and Francis Bacon, and expanded into the Enlightenment, where all educated people could be party to the dispersion of the ideas of Newton, Voltaire, and Rousseau.
...but it also significantly altered the scientific community. People such as Francis Bacon, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and many more, helped to spread ideals that would become a crucial turning point in the thought process of people during the seventeenth century. Without the important scientific and intellectual advances that occurred during the Enlightenment period, countless other important events and inventions that were sparked by them would also be nonexistent. There is no way of telling how history’s course would be different had the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment not occurred, but the fact is that they did. And what is known is that religion, science, government and politics, beliefs, relations between humans, society, and human perspective were all significantly altered by the wide-ranging metamorphoses inspired by these movements.
The Enlightenment was the time period that followed the Scientific Revolution and was characterized as the "Age of Reason". This was the time when man began to use his reason to discover the world around him rather than blindly follow what the previous authority, such as the Church and Classical Philosophers, stated to be true. The Enlightenment was a tremendously broad movement that dominated much of the European thinking during the 18th century, however, several core themes that epitomized the movement were the idea of progress, skepticism against the Church, and individualism.
Baird and Kaufmann, the editors of our text, explain in their outline of Descartes' epistemology that the method by which the thinker carried out his philosophical work involved first discovering and being sure of a certainty, and then, from that certainty, reasoning what else it meant one could be sure of. He would admit nothing without being absolutely satisfied on his own (i.e., without being told so by others) that it was incontrovertible truth. This system was unique, according to the editors, in part because Descartes was not afraid to face doubt. Despite the fact that it was precisely doubt of which he was endeavoring to rid himself, he nonetheless allowed it the full reign it deserved and demanded over his intellectual labors. "Although uncertainty and doubt were the enemies," say Baird and Kaufmann (p.16), "Descartes hit upon the idea of using doubt as a tool or as a weapon. . . . He would use doubt as an acid to pour over every 'truth' to see if there was anything that could not be dissolved . . . ." This test, they explain, resulted for Descartes in the conclusion that, if he doubted everything in the world there was to doubt, it was still then certain that he was doubting; further, that in order to doubt, he had to exist. His own existence, therefore, was the first truth he could admit to with certainty, and it became the basis for the remainder of his epistemology.
The scientific revolution can be considered one of the biggest turning points in European history. Because of new scientific ideas and theories, a new dawn of thinking and questioning of natural elements had evolved. Scientific revolution thinkers such as Newton, Galileo, and Copernicus all saw nature as unknowable and wanted to separate myths from reality. During the scientific revolution during mid 1500-late 1600s, key figures such as Isaac Newton and Nicolaus Copernicus greatly impacted Europe in terms of astronomical discoveries, scientific methods, and the questioning of God to challenge the church’s teachings.
In his work, Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes narrates the search for certainty in order to recreate all knowledge. He begins with “radical doubt.” He asks a simple question “Is there any one thing of which we can be absolutely certain?” that provides the main question of his analysis. Proceeding forward, he states that the ground of his foundation is the self – evident knowledge of the “thinking thing,” which he himself is.
The Scientific Revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries changed the way people viewed the world. Scientific philosophers, such as Galileo and Descartes, rejected the old teachings of the church and introduced new ways of thinking. These men sought to prove that rational thought could demonstrate the existence of God. They also argued that understanding a series of rational thoughts, rather than faith, would lead to an understanding of how the world worked. Traditional ways of thinking were ultimately challenged by logical and sensible reasoning.
The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment period were both a time of immense growth in scientific discovery and an increase in the secular view of the world. The Scientific Revolution would include the use of direct observation and experimentation, dependence on mathematical confirmation, and inventions to test new scientific discoveries (Kwak). The new discoveries of the Scientific Revolution led the growing number of literate middle class individuals in the Enlightenment period. This growth of enlightened individuals led to more intellectual and cultural attitudes that shaped modern history throughout the world (Fiero, 134). This paper will analyze the impact of the
Descartes’ dissatisfaction with scholasticism and his interest in beginning with new foundations of knowledge reflect the historical-scientific context of his time. Prior to the seventeenth century, medieval ideas had predominated. These ideas included the necessity to resurrect ancient knowledge, and to discourage innovations. By the seventeenth century, the idea that modern men could be wiser than the ancients was stimulated by the likes of Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon. However, Bacon and Descartes led two distinct schools of thought in regard to how one should pursue the acquisition of knowledge. While Descartes favored a more rational and theoretical approach, Bacon favored an empirical and practical approach.
Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher believed that the origin of knowledge comes from within the mind, a single indisputable fact to build on that can be gained through individual reflection. His Discourse on Method (1637) and Meditations (1641) contain his important philosophical theories. Intending to extend mathematical method to all areas of human knowledge, Descartes discarded the authoritarian systems of the scholastic philosophers and began with universal doubt. Only one thing cannot be doubted: doubt itself. Therefore, the doubter must exist. This is the kernel of his famous assertion Cogito, ergo sum (I am thinking, therefore I am existing). From this certainty Descartes expanded knowledge, step by step, to admit the existence of God (as the first cause) and the reality of the physical world, which he held to be mechanistic and entirely divorced from the mind; the only connection between the two is the intervention of God.
"We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart"(1) said Blaise Pascal, one of the greatest minds of the 17th Century. The 17th Century was the time of the scientific revolution. During this period the main idea for everyone, was to question everything not to just listen to what is told. This caused a transformation in thought in both religious and scientific areas. Science allowed the questioning of the teachings of the old church. Scientists battled with ideas in math and physics, while philosophers battled with ideas of God. It was an intellectual revolution concerning the methods for determining humanity's place in the universe. Blaise Pascal was a physicist, a mathematician, and a man of God. He was a Renaissance man of the scientific revolution.
In conclusion, the scientific revolution brought dramatic change in the way people lived their lives, and it certainly influenced eighteenth century free-thinking. The scientific method was comprehensively utilized during the eighteenth century to study human behavior and societies. It enabled scientist and scholars alike to exercise their freedom of rationality so they could come to their own conclusions about religion and humanity as a whole. They could finally do so without having to defer to the dictates of established authorities.
The changes produced during the Scientific Revolution were not rapid but developed slowly and in an experimental way. Although its effects were highly influential, the forerunners Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes only had a few hundred followers. Each pioneered unique ideas that challenged the current views of human beingsí relationship with nature. With the backing of empirical observation and mathematical proof, these ideas slowly gained acceptance. As a result, the operation of society, along with prior grounds for faith were reconsidered. Their ideas promoted change and reform for humansí well-being on earth.
...pted by people of the Late Middle Ages. More importantly, it brought out the idea that the Bible could not be interpreted for science, instead, people were to experiment or observe for themselves. The strongly supported heliocentric theory no refuted the favorable idea of humanity being in the center. The Scientific Revolution revealed the fact that the sun was in the universe, at the same time, it encouraged people to become innovators, thinkers, and experimenters instead of being dependent on theology. The Scientific Revolution was a big step forward for humanity. It showed that everyone was capable of thinking logically. In our society today, people can freely debate, read, and discover for themselves. Without the Scientific Revolution, the modernization of science may have been delayed, and our present ideas of the universe and humanity may have been different.
The Enlightenment is a vitally important historical period because it was the time when many major changes occurred in the society and life of many people changed, additionally the ideas and values of the Enlightenment have inspired the current way of how the community is functioning. Natural law that was invented during the Scientific Revolution inspired many people to think in other ways and to try to understand social, economical and political problems better. People realised that reforms were essential to achieve a just society. Unlike during the Middle Ages when people accepted the way their society was governed by a divine-ruler, under the Age of Reason people stared to question the major power in their lives because they were inspired
In addition to this, the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, which had always held that the motion of the universe was controlled by God, was now questioned by many. In response, this set the Roman Catholic Church as a natural opponent of the Scientific Revolution. This was because the new information contradicted the Church’s world view not because of opposition to new ideas or scientific exploration itself. Fortunately, the Scientific Revolution happened moderately over approximately a one hundred and fifty year period so society and the Church had time to adjust to the revolutionary new thoughts.