Back in the 16th century, religion was a big part of the monarchy as the Catholic Church worked side by side with the king in carrying out laws and policies. There were a couple major revolutions and important advances in scientific history that came about and disapproved of the original ideals of religion, however some of which had little to no impact on it. The many European Wars of Religion that were fought after the Protestant Reformation was the cause of the domino effect of the declining centrality of religion in European civilization. One of the major revolutions in the beginning of the 16th century was the Scientific Revolution, which was a remarkable period in which there were many noteworthy advancements in both the science and mathematics …show more content…
In the document “Galileo’s Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina” in 1615, he wrote this “these people are aware that in my astronomical and philosophical studies, on the question of the constitution of the world’s parts, I hold that the sun is located at the center of the revolutions of the heavenly orbs and does not change place, and that the earth rotates on itself and moves around it”(Galileo,88). He is basically agreeing with what Copernicus said in his assumption about the rotation of the Earth around the Sun and going against the traditional values and predictions that the church had already set in …show more content…
The values and proclamations that the enlightenment brought to the table coincide with the French Revolution which sought to establish secular forms of government formulated on the values of liberty, equality and fraternity. All these principles that these thinkers passed down and assimilated into the minds of individuals was a step closer to weakening the authority that religion had over society and the wellbeing of the individual. John Locke, a prominent enlightenment thinker, said in his article “The Second Treatise of Government”, “if man in the state of nature be so free, as has been said; if he be absolute lord of his own person and possessions, equal to the greatest, and subject to nobody, why will he part with his freedom? Why will he give up this empire, and subject himself to the dominion and control of any other power?”(Locke 69). Locke is saying if we were supposed to be free to our own liberty and possessions and be in control of only ourselves and no one else can control us, then why would we want to give this up and become under the control of the
The Bible was one of the most important pieces of text during Galileo’s lifetime. If you went against what the Bible stated then you were considered to be a heretic. The Bible indicated that the earth was in the center of the universe and the sun and the other planets revolve around it. a theory known as the geocentric model. Many scientists argued against this theory by stating that actually the sun was in the center of the universe and the earth and the other planets revolved around the sun, this theory was known as the heliocentric model. Nicolas Copernicus was one of the first out of many scientists who publically shared this theory. Later Giordano Bruno also supported this theory and because of this the Church ordered him to be burned
The Scientific Revolution, during the 16th and 18th centuries, was a time of conflict. It was not a hand-to-hand martial conflict. It was a conflict of advancement, similar to the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. However, it was between the thinkers of the Scientific Revolution, such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, and the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, the Catholic Church was the most powerful religious body in Europe. It controlled everything from education to faith to finances. Thinkers like Galileo took the risk and went against the church. This is shown through the documents below. Those documents tell the story of Galileo and how he was forced to revoke his support of heliocentrism by the church. The documents below also show the struggle between faith and reason that existed during this era of advancement by hindering the flourishment of the sciences by stating that it did not agree with the Bible and naming these early scientists as heretics.
The philosopher’s main idea of equality can be seen through the ideas and thoughts of Voltaire and Mary Wollstonecraft. In Document B it says “If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary (unrestrained); if there were but two, the people would cut one another’s throats; but as there are such a multitude, they all live happy and in peace.” Voltaire, a French Enlightenment philosopher, says if religious choice is restricted then bitterness arises and different religious groups will go after each other's throats. He believes that if freedom of religion is allowed within a state than people can live peacefully with one another since no one would feel superior to another. John Locke’s ideas on creating a government by the people and Voltaire’s ideas on practicing any religion shows how many enlightenment philosophers wanted people to live peacefully with others and the society.
Galileo even as a boy seemed destined to challenge the scientific thought of the day. He has often been characterized as a pioneer of rebellion against authority. If that was true then he was only following in his father’s footsteps. His Father, a revolutionary man in the world of music who spoke out against the music theories of his day, was quoted as saying, "It appears to me that those who try to prove an assertion by relying simply on the weight of authority act very absurdly" (White, 196). Galileo continued in his father’s rebellion against contemporary views with his support of a helio-centric-universe, a view previously argued by Copernicus, but for the most part ignored by scientists for its contradiction with the established, church-endorsed system of Ptolemy.
There are many different ways in which the Enlightenment affected the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. One way was the by the idea of a Social Contract; an agreement by which human beings are said to have abandoned the "state of nature" in order to form the society in which they now live. HOBBES, LOCKE, and J.J. ROUSSEAU each developed differing versions of the social contract, but all agreed that certain freedoms had been surrendered for society's protection and that the government has definite responsibilities to its citizens. Locke believed that governments were formed to protect the natural rights of men, and that overthrowing a government that did not protect these rights was not only a right, but also an obligation. His thoughts influenced many revolutionary pamphlets and documents, including the Virginia Constitution of 1776, and the Declaration of Independence.
After the Reformation the notion of democracy began to seep into European society, bringing with it the liberation of individual religious conscience and property. It was at this point in history, institutions realized they could no longer attempt to unify belief. Immanuel Kant, an enlightenment philosopher, argued in his essay entitled “What Is Enlightenment?” that prior oppression of thought was the direct result of laziness and cowardice in European society. Hence, as Europe transitioned into an era of enlightenment it was almost as if European society was shaking off their “self-caused immaturity” and “incapacity to use one’s intelligence.” The enlightenment in many ways represented a departure from common practice and the arrival of creativity and
Not just the catholic church, but the new reformed religions such as lutheranism. Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, discusses the events of the new scientific findings in document 3. He says that the new scientific discoveries are just fools. He does not appreciate it because he is a very religious man who lives strictly by the bible. “Joshua commanded the sun top stand still, and not the earth.”(Joshua 10:13). Luther does not want people to believe these new discoveries and lose people from the church. The scientific impacted europe religion in a huge way. It made people realize that not everything the church has teached us is true and to prove everything yourself. This is the attitude that led to the enlightenment. Luther views the scientific revolution as a threat to his church, where as John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, agrees with the new scientific findings as said in document 4. Calvin says that the new findings supports the evidence of God and even proves His existence. “This art [astronomy] unfolds the admirable wisdom of God(4).” With the scientific revolution slowly gaining the support from different churches, the new ideas and discoveries start to be supported by
The Enlightenment was an astonishing time of transformation in Europe. During this time in the eighteenth century there was a progressive movement that was labeled by its criticism of the normal religious, social, and political perceptions. A number of significant thinkers, with new philosophies, had inspired creativeness and change. These thinkers had many different thoughts and views on people and the way they act, and views on the government. Two well-known and most influential thinkers of this time were the English political philosopher John Locke and the French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. These two men had laid down some of the intellectual grounds of the modern day government and both had different opinions on what the government’s role in a society.
In science people started to question the church and its powerthis may have been because the church's "indulgence" policy was so far out of line; as a result to this curiosity people started to study the natural world, discovering the secrets of the universe. Leonardo da Vinci was a huge part of the advancement in Science, with his inventions and theories. This was also the time period that Galileo discovered that the Earth revolved around the sunmuch to the dismay of the church.
The Scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries changed the way that people views the world. Scientific philosophers such as Galileo and Descartes threw out the old teachings of the church and challenged them with new ways of thinking. These men sought to prove that rational thought could prove the existence of God. They also challenged that it was an understanding of a series of rational thoughts, not faith, would bring understanding of how the world worked. Traditional ways of thinking were ultimately challenged by logical and sensible rationale.
Cardinal Bellarmine’s first point is if the earth is the third planet out from the sun, and the sun is the center of the universe, it will irritate philosophers, and pose a great danger to the holy scripture. Bellarmine says “But to want to affirm that the sun really is fixed in the center of the heavens and only revolves around itself (i.e. turns on an axis) without traveling from east to west, and that the earth is situated in the third sphere and revolves with great speed around the sun, is a very dangerous thing, not only by irritating all the philosophers and scholastic theologians, but also by injuring our holy faith and rendering the Holy Scriptures false,”(Cardinal Bellarmine, as quoted in Spielvogel 485). The second point that Bellarmine makes is that in the bible it says the the sun goes around the earth, and that the council of trent affirms that, and you cannot doubt them. He says that “If your reverence would read not only the fathers but also the commentaries of modern writers on Genesis, psalms, ecclesiastes and josue, you would find that all agree in explaining literally that the sun is in the heavens and moves swiftly around the earth,” (Cardinal Bellarmine, as quoted in Spielvogel 485). He is also saying that Galileo is ignoring important knowledge that is well known and circulated by the church. The third point Bellarmine makes is because he hasn’t had it demonstrated to him how the
I am writing this letter to inform you on how inaccurate you are about Galileo’s discoveries. The Geocentric model has our beloved home, Earth, in the center of the solar system and never moves. For hundreds of years we believed the Geocentric model was the explanation of where our planet is placed. I’m sorry to say but we were all wrong. The true place Earth is put is shown on the Heliocentric model.
The scientific revolution took place in the 1500’s and 1600’s. It was a period of great change and is considered one of the most important eras of European history. It was a time of enlightenment brought forth by brave and revolutionary inventors, scientists, and philosophers. Many questions about our universe and planet were answered and inventions were created during this period. The scientific revolution is revolutionary because it permanently changed the way people thought and how scientific experiments were conducted.
It was the belief in this theory that caused Galileo to encounter resistance from the church and other scientists, as it was considered contradictory to the bible. Upon discovering that the earth revolved around the sun, which was contrary to the Ptolemaic theory of the time, Copernicus chose not to make his study widely known for fear of the consequences. “Accordingly, when I considered in my own mind how absurd a performance it must seem to those who know that the judgment of many centuries has approved the view that the Earth remains fixed as center in the midst of the heavens, if I should, on the contrary, assert that the Earth moves,” (Copernicus, Nicolaus). Copernicus shared his theory of heliocentrism in a manuscript entitled Dē revolutionibus orbium coelestium and in a letter to Pope Paul in 1543 which explained his work and basis of his
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, radical and controversial ideas were created in what would become a time period of great advances. The Scientific Revolution began with a spark of inspiration that spread a wild fire of ideas through Europe and America. The new radical ideas affected everything that had been established and proven through religious views. "The scientific revolution was more radical and innovative than any of the political revolutions of the seventeenth century."1 All of the advances that were made during this revolutionary time can be attributed to the founders of the Scientific Revolution.