Scientific Revolution Essay

1126 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The influence of religion on the scientific revolution

Science versus Religion during the Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution marked the beginning of useful and accurate knowledge of the physical world. Old Aristotelian science began to diminish as scholars questioned old beliefs and proved new theories. They used mathematics, experimentation, and new technology to rediscover and describe the physical world in innovative ways. Matthews explains, “These early modern scientists and philosophers countered faith with reason, dogma with skepticism, and divine intervention with natural law. They accepted as true what could be proven mathematically and rejected as untrue those things that could not” (415). The world was beginning to view the universe and physics in a new and more accurate way due to the inquisitive and unrelenting scholars of the scientific revolution. Some of the great scholars to broaden the view of the universe by questioning longstanding beliefs were, Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton.
Nicolaus Copernicus’ contributions to astronomy and physics proved to be pivotal in sparking a change in the existing views of the universe. Born in Poland in 1473, Copernicus’ parents died before he reached the age of 12. His uncle then raised him and Copernicus went on to study canon law, medicine and astronomy. His education proved that he had a well-rounded view of the universe that included both religious and scientific facets as he earned doctorate degrees in canon law and medicine. With his education he continued a lifelong service to the church and to science. He used an astronomical tower, a moon and sun tracking device and an astrolabe to develop a revolutionary heliocentric view of the universe. For many years scientists descri...

... middle of paper ...

...l in solving problems in mechanics and physics using nonlinear equations. His research and reporting helped develop the modern ideas and laws of the universe.
With educated and unbiased recordings of the universe humans have a more precise view of the workings around us. Luckily there were inquisitive and relentless men who dedicated their lives and risked their freedom to provide detailed and accurate information about the universe. Without them humans may have never fully understood universal laws and may have accepted the false teachings of the church. This persistent and unyielding attitude may be helpful to modern humans in ensuring human existence. Should we question or search beyond what we are given or should we simply accept what we are told? From history we can gain that inquiry leads to a better understanding and possible improvement in current practices.

Show More
Related

  • Scientific Revolution DBQ Essay

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Galileo’s Legacy

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    In papal Rome in the early 16th century the “Good Book” was the reference book for all scientists. If a theory was supported in its holy pages, or at the very least not contradicted, then the idea had a chance of find acceptance outside the laboratory. Likewise, no theory no matter how well documented could be viewed with anything but disdain if it contradicted with the written word of, or the Church’s official interpretation of scripture. For these reasons the Church suppressed helio-centric thinking to the point of making it a hiss and a byword. However, this did not keep brave men from exploring scientific reason outside the canonical doctrine of the papal throne, sometimes at the risk of losing their own lives. While the Vatican was able to control the universities and even most of the professors, it could not control the mind of one man known to the modern world as Galileo Galilei. Despite a wide array of enemies, Galileo embarked on a quest, it seems almost from the beginning of his academic career, to defend the Copernican idea of a helio-centric universe by challenging the authority of the church in matters of science. Galileo‘s willingness to stand up for what he held to be right in the face of opposition from Bible-driven science advocates set him apart as one of the key players in the movement to separate Church authority from scientific discovery, and consequently paved the way for future scientific achievement.

    Read More

  • Galileo and New Ideas Versus Religious Authorities and Old Ideas

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    Galileo Galilei’s heliocentric theory upset the religious authorities because it was a new idea that was different from the commonly held biblical belief that the earth stayed still and was in the center of the universe. Galilei’s heliocentric theory represented the scientific revolution versus the Church’s long held biblically based belief. By writing down his thoughts and publicizing them, Galilei was making them accessible and understandable for all. The Church was threatened because his findings were in direct opposition to the Church’s beliefs. They understood Galilei to be contradicting the bible and committing heresy. Therefore, Galileo Galilei’s heliocentric theory and the Church’s push back against him represented the clash between the new generation that involved scientific knowledge, and the old generation that was based on religion and ancient philosophers.

    Read More

  • Nicolaus Copernicus Research Paper

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the year of 1473, on the 19th of February, a soon-to-be, well remembered, mathematician/astronomer was born in the city of Torun, Poland. Born with the name of Nicolaus Copernicus, he was the fourth and youngest child of Nicolaus Copernicus Sr., and Barbara Watzenrode. Copernicus was, technically, born into German heritage. That being said, his primary language was german, bt many scholars believe he spoke fluently in Polish also. At ten years of age, the unfortunate happened to Nicolaus; His father passed away. After the passing of Nicolaus Sr., a maternal uncle stepped in and took over the parenting role. Nicolaus’ uncle took matters into his own hands to make sure Copernicus acquired the most outstanding education possible. Copernicus enrolled in the University of Cracow in the year of 1491. While at the university, he studied painting and mathematics. At that time, Copernicus took no classes over astronomy. Nicolaus developed a growing interest in cosmos and books. He then started a collection of books on astronomy. Following Nicolaus’s graduation from Cracow in 1494, he returned back to the city Torun. Copernicus's uncle had already had a job as a cannon arranged for him prior to his arrival. This job at Frombork Cathedral, was usually only given to priests. Such a fortunate and unusual opportunity, Copernicus took the job. He then held that job for the rest of his life. The position of a cannon allowed him to fund money to continue his studies for as long as he desired. There was really only one major downfall of the job. It took up a lot of his time, leaving him very little free time. It came to the point where academics had to come second. In the year of 1496, Nicolaus took a leave from his job. Not a two-week leave,...

    Read More

  • Scientific Revolution Dbq Essay

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    The scientific revolution was what introduced the way we think based on experimentation, observation and how we apply reasoning to the things we do scientifically. During the scientific revooution this way of thinking brought forward new kinds of thinkers otherwise know as enlgihtentment thinkers. These enlightenment thinkers brought there ideas forward, which helped lead the strive for there independence . this is what led to the beginning of the scientific revolution. The scientific revolution began around the mid 1700s and went all the way through the mid 1800s theses revolutions did not only stay in one place, this was happening globally in Europe, the americans and through out the latin American colonies. You might ask yourself what did they these revolutions have in common ? they all became infulanced by one another and was infinced by the enlightenment thinkers.

    Read More

  • Galileo and the History of the Catholic Church

    1932 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1543 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish Canon, published “On the Revolution of the Celestial Orbs”. The popular view is that Copernicus discovered that the earth revolves around the sun. The notion is as old as the ancient Greeks however. This work was entrusted by Copernicus to Osiander, a staunch Protestant who though the book would most likely be condemned and, as a result, the book would be condemned. Osiander therefore wrote a preface to the book, in which heliocentrism was presented only as a theory which would account for the movements of the planets more simply than geocentrism did, one that was not meant to be a definitive description of the heavens--something Copernicus did not intend. The preface was unsigned, and everyone took it to be the author’s. That Copernicus believed the helioocentric theory to be a true description of reality went largely unnoticed. In addition to the preface, this was partly because he still made reassuring use of Ptolemy's cycles and epicycles; he also borrowed from Aristotle the notion that the planets must move in circles because that is the only perfect form of motion.

    Read More

  • The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    Copernicus was a scientist and philosopher whose theory proposed that the sun was stationary, and the heavens orbit around the sun. Galileo tried to convince the Church not to abolish the Copernican theory but was told that he was not to entertain such thoughts with others.... ... middle of paper ... ...(n.d.).

    Read More

  • Nicholas Copernicus And Tycho Brahe

    326 Words  | 1 Pages

    No two astronomers made quite as significant contributions to their field during the European renaissance like Nicholas Copernicus and Tycho Brahe. There were serious flaws to the widely-accepted Ptolemaic model of the solar system, and these two scientists sought out to correct those flaws. While their approaches and models were very different, the most prominent and new feature of their models were revolutionary and accepted today.

    Read More

  • How Did Nicolaus Copernicus Let Free

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nicolaus Copernicus is a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe. He was born February 19, 1473 in Toruń Poland.In 1514, Copernicus distributed a handwritten book to his friends that set out his view of the universe. In it, he proposed that the center of the universe was not Earth, but that the sun lay near it. He also suggested that Earth's rotation accounted for the rise and setting of the sun, the movement of the stars, and that the cycle of seasons was caused by Earth's revolutions around it. Finally, he correctly proposed that Earth's motion through space caused the retrograde motion of the planets across the night sky. Nicolaus

    Read More

  • The Life of Nicolas Copernicus and His Heliocentric Theory

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nicolas Copernicus died never knowing what a revolution he made in the scientific world. Mathematicians and scientist like Ptolemy, Newton, and Brahe supported his heliocentric theory. He was born in Poland on February 19th, 1473 the baby of four children. His father was Nicholas Copernicus Sr. died in 1483 when Copernicus was at the young age of ten. He and his sibling went to live with his Uncle Lucas Waltzenrode the bishop of Warmia in Germany. His family’s exceptional wealth allowed him to attend some of the finest schools in Europe. After attending Cracow for mathematics he went to Italy to study canon law. Under the influence of his uncle he become a canon, which is just below a bishop. In Italy he made his first astronomical observation one night with a friend who was a professor of astronomy. Copernicus explored many occupations: a canon, mathematician, and the one he is most known for astronomer.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Scientific Revolution

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    The modern science view as well as the Scientific Revolution can be argued that it began with Copernicus’ heliocentric theory; his staunch questioning of the prior geocentric worldview led to the proposal of a new idea that the Earth is not in fact the center of the solar system, but simply revolving around the Sun. Although this is accepted as common sense today, the period in which Copernicus proposed this idea was ground-breaking, controversial, and frankly, world-changing. The Church had an immense amount of power, and was a force to be reckoned with; in the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, new scientific proposals and ideas were discouraged in many cases by the Church. A quote from Galileo’s Children does an excellent job summing up the conflict: “The struggle of Galileo against Church dogma concerning the nature of the cosmos epitomized the great, inevitable and continuing clash between religion and reason.” If evidence goes against scripture, the scientist is considered a heretic and is, like in Galileo’s case, forbidden to discuss the ideas any further. Galileo Galilei, who proposed solid evidence and theory supporting the heliocentric model, was forced to go back on his beliefs in front of several high officials, and distance himself from the Copernican model. This, luckily, allowed him to not be killed as a heretic, which was the next level of punishment for the crimes he was charged with, had he not went back on his beliefs. Incredible support was given through the young developing academies with a sense of community for scientists and academics; “Renaissance science academies represent a late manifestation of the humanist academy movement.” Since the Church was grounded traditionally evidence that went agains...

    Read More

  • The Copernican Revolution and Its Importance According to Thomas S. Kuhn

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Copernican Revolution Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought by Thomas S. Kuhn, is a book that illustrates the importance between man and the natural world from antiquity to the current date. Thomas Kuhn vividly shows us that the Copernican revolution was not only a revolution of scientific theory, but of religious, and conceptual thought as well. Kuhn states in the opening lines of his book that "The Copernican Revolution was a revolution of ideas, a transformation in man's conception of the universe and his own relation to it." Kuhn aims to show us that the transformation of Aristotle's unique, and immobile centre of the universe, to Copernicus' third rock from the sun, had an enormous effect on what we believe and value today.

    Read More

  • The Scientific Revolution

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the time just prior to the revolution, ideas and thoughts had been based strictly around faith and not scientific reasoning. The founders of the revolution took a leap of faith into an unknown realm of science and experimentation. Four of the many brilliant founders of the Scientific Revolution; Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Brahe, used previous scientific principles and their own genius to make advances in science that are still being used today. Scientific pamphlets, the telescope, observations of the universe and the creation of ...

    Read More

  • Human Beings and Nature: The Scientific Revolution

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Scientific Revolution was sparked through Nicolaus Copernicusí unique use of mathematics. His methods developed from Greek astr...

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Scientific Revolution on Society and Religion

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the course of the years, society has been reformed by new ideas of science. We learn more and more about global warming, outer space, and technology. However, this pattern of gaining knowledge did not pick up significantly until the Scientific Revolution. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution started, which concerned the fields of astronomy, mechanics, and medicine. These new scientists used math and observations strongly contradicting religious thought at the time, which was dependent on the Aristotelian-Ptolemy theory. However, astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton accepted the heliocentric theory. Astronomical findings of the Scientific Revolution disproved the fact that humans were the center of everything, ultimately causing people to question theology’s role in science and sparking the idea that people were capable of reasoning for themselves.

    Read More

More about Scientific Revolution Essay

Open Document