SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

The scientific revolution of the sixteenth -seventeenth centuries changed the

way the educated people looked at the world. Science in the middle ages was
considered to be a branch of religion, and a medieval scientist found it
inconceivable to examine the universe outside the realm of religion. Whereas,
the new approach comprised critical thinking. Nothing can be accepted on
faith. The critical analysis of everything in society from religion to politics and
the optimism that human mind can find solution in everything was known as
ENLIGHTENMENT.
To understand how the scientific revolution altered the way society viewed the
world and the role of man in society , we must realize that the medieval world
view was ruled by the ideas of the 3rd century Greek philosopher , ARISTOTLE
and the 2nd century Egyptian philosopher PTOLEMY and the theologians .
Medieval theologians, such as St.Thomas Aquinas brought these writings into
harmony with the Christian doctrines . The philosophy of Aquinas were known
as SCHOLASTICISM.
According to views, by Aristotle and Ptolemy , the motionless earth was the
centre of the universe and the world was made up of four elements including
earth , air , water, and fire. This view was shattered by NICHOLUS COPERNICUS
(1473-1543). In his book , On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres,
Copernicus suggested that the sun was the centre of the universe and the
earth and other planets revolved in circular orbits . His ideas influenced others
in the field of science.
JOHANNES KEPPLER(1571-1630), a German astronomer used the idea of
Copernicus that the planets move around the sun in an elliptical orbit and not
circular orbits . Keppler’s three laws of planetary motions were based on
mathematical relationships and accurately predicted the movements of
planets in a sun-centered universe. His work demolished the old systems of
Aristotle and Ptolemy .
While Keppler was examining planetary motions , GALILEO GALILEI, a
Florentinian (1564-1642),continued to attack on traditional views of science.
Galileo established experimentation , the cornerstone of modern science. He
applied experimental methods to astronomy by using the newly invented
telescope. Using this instrument , he discovered the four moons of Jupiter ,and
that the moon had a mountainous surface, much like the earth. His discovery
destroyed the earlier notions that the planets were crystal spheres and
challenged the traditional belief in the unique relationship between earth and
the moon. For his book , The Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World
Systems (1632), which openly criticises the views of Aristotle and Ptolemy,
Galileo was arrested, imprisoned and tried for heresy by the Papal Inquisition ,
and forced to publicly recant his views.
The greatest figure of the scientific revolution was Sir ISAAC NEWTON, an
Englishman (1642-1727). In his book Principia Mathematica , he integrated the
ideas of Copernicus , Keppler, and Galileo into one system of mathematical
laws to explain the orderly manner in which the planets revolved around sun.
The key feature of the thesis was known as the law of universal gravitation.
WILLIAM HARVEY demonstrated that blood circulates , using dissections and
other experimental techniques. St. FRANCIS BACON published NOVUM
ORGANUM in 1620 which outlined a new system of logic based on the process
of reduction , which he offered as an improvement over Aristotle ‘s
philosophical process of syllogism. WILLIAM GILBERT published On The Magnet
And Magnetic Bodies, in 1600 which laid the foundations of a theory of
magnetism and electricity.
Some consequences of the scientific revolution include the following:-
A scientific community emerged whose primary goal was the expansion of
knowledge. Learned societies like the FRENCH ACADEMY of sciences and the
ROYAL SOCIETY of LONDON were founded to promote the growth of scientific
ideas among different countries.
The scientific revolution had little effect on daily life before the nineteenth
century . The revolution in science in the 16th -17th centuries was primarily an
intellectual one.