The Scientific Revolution During The Age Of Enlightenment

Before the 16th century, Europe had a radically different approach and view of science. At that time, this system of explaining the universe and superstition were seen as equal counterparts. There was a belief almost, that the ways of life could not be explained logically, but only by superstition and the mysterious actions of God. That assumption was created in part by the Catholic church and since, the church influenced a large portion of the common people’s time and lives, science remained as it was. On the other hand, feudalism played a role in the lack of science. During this time period, the general population was busy working for their nobles and kings in exchange for constant protection. Literacy and education were not priorities for
During the 16th to 18th centuries, new sub-sciences such as astronomy, optics, physics, and chemistry were created with a definite advancement in the mathematics and philosophy. The revolution was mainly caused by the necessity for more knowledge and learning. The rediscovery of ancient yet highly developed mathematics from the Babylonians, Greeks, and Egyptians during the Renaissance only added fuel to the spark of interest. The final cause of the revolution was the Age of Exploration which required inventors and physicist to create clocks and watches for sailors to navigate the oceans more efficiently and accurately. As a whole, these events created something bigger, The Scientific Revolution, and its start is credited with one man, Nicolaus Copernicus. He claimed that the Earth was not the center of the universe as believed by the Church and thus the whole world. However, his heliocentric theory published in his book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (or On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres) could not be proven while he was still alive, as the world lacked telescopes. Only later would Johannes Kepler confirm Copernicus’s idea with mathematical proof. Copernicus would not just start the path for a revolution, but he would also lead the way for a numerous amount of physicists and
One of the new spiritual ideas was deism. People now began to believe that although there was one God and he did create the universe, he stopped his involvement with humans and Earth. God let the universe work as an independent machine. Along with deism, John Locke created the theory of separation of church and state. This idea would prove useful as it prevented religious leaders from having political influences as well. Locke’s theory and Voltaire’s belief in freedom of religion went hand in hand together as they are fragments of the foundation for the United States government. On the other hand, criticism of monarchies and the rise of constitutionalism emerged from the minds of Enlightenment philosophes. For the first time, monarchs were seen as servants of the people rather than God. In creating these changes, some Enlightenment philosophes and revolutionary scientists were challenging the church. After Copernicus created his heliocentric theory, humans began to view themselves as not perfect. No longer were they center of the universe as God intended; there were not the center of anything. Due to more discoveries, the world quickly became free of superstition, miracles, and magic and was filled with reason, logic, and science. Ultimately, the Scientific Revolution proved scriptures wrong while the Enlightenment