The Scientific Revolution In The 17th Century
Sci·ence n. The systematic study or knowledge of the physical or material world .
One might think that with all of the great scientific discoveries that happened in the 17th century, that they happened over night and that the discoveries seemed to have happened in a relatively short period in time. The discoveries were constructed from and expanded upon, the knowledge gained from earlier philosophers. They were then developed over time. Isaac Newton surely did not awake one morning and discover the laws of gravity, nor did his peers fully understand the laws when Newton lectured about them and described them in his published work Principia . A scientific revolution was in full swing during the 17th century, and the advances were so great that they jumped outside the scope of “general knowledge” of the society. Society, and philosophers too, had problems believing the teachings or discoveries of other philosophers during this rebirth.
The revolution in science, also called the mathematical revolution, took the world by surprise. Science was diffused by public demonstrations, but not always with much success. Galileo on many occasions, asserabled notable philosophers and tried to convince them of his discovery of the moons around Jupiter. These eminent practitioners were allowed to view the heavens through Galileo’s telescope. The telescope, being invented by Galileo, proved to be a wonderful tool to view land based objects and no one disagreed with that. But, when pointed at the sacred heavens, many of the notaries said it “failed” or “deceived” in the celestial realm. The thinking of the people at this time was justifiable, because the telescope had not been proven yet, or granted the same “reliability” of some of the other instruments that were used for viewing the heavens. Many did not have the mathematical knowledge needed to understand the science involved in bringing the skies down to earth using the telescope. It was only natural for them to act in this manner. Even today, look at the knee jerk reaction many get when they have to break something down into its mathematical form. I myself tend to be a selective listener. They must have been selective viewers.
Galileo was not the only philosopher that had to go to these great lengths to inform or prove to the public his works or discoveries. Public viewing was especially the case in anatomy lessons. Many scientists were invited into lecture halls where a surgeon would dissect a body, announcing and displaying the many human organs as they were removed from the body. This lead to the forming of societies or academies devoted to the study of science. Many of the societies were aimed at gathering all knowledge about nature, especially the knowledge that would be useful to the public. These societies ended up as major think-tanks for philosophers towarRAB the end of the 17th century. Science, scientific thinking, and the experimental method had become the norm for many wealthy men who had lots of time on their hanRAB. These amateur scientists often times made great contributions to the scientific endeavor.
This boost was a sign that the general knowledge or mathematical knowledge of the population was growing. The population was learning, and in turn, discovering science for the first time, because I suppose, for the first time in history science actually worked! Through the miraculous achievements of men like Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton, and their sifting through centuries of knowledge, a new world view was created. This view was based much on the previous science and knowledge as it was on the new scientific methoRAB and discoveries.
Issac Newton’s discoveries and publication of the Principia, again is a fine example of this new world view. Newton went out to discover why an apple fell to the earth. His conclusion was, of course, gravity. The Principia documented, for the first time, his laws which not only explained gravity, but also backed them up with the calculus to explain the laws. Many could not understand this calculus or physics, but it had an astonishing impact anyways. Proof! Proof that nature had meaning, and order that was not based upon faith, but upon human reason. Up until this scientific revolution, the churches earned the absolute power, authority, and obedience over science and scientific thinking. Even Newton devoted a major amount of his time to theology and alchemy.
Up until the scientific revolution the philosophers essentially tip-toed around many of their discoveries and beliefs because of theology. At times they didn’t want to believe the theories themselves because of their personal religious beliefs. Science and religion were intimately connected. Scientists (or natural philosophers) interpreted their work in religious terms and saw it as contributing to the achievement of their religious goals. This view has evolved throughout history and in today’s world, I believe science is getting the upper hand. Prior to and during the 17th century, philosophers had to deal with the religious consequences of their views and discoveries first hand and up front. They were the ones who were harassed in public or outcast from society because of their findings. They took the assault personally. In today’s world, the scientist is protected by corporate involvement. The modern day scientist does not have to deal with the recourse of his discoveries. Their corporations or corporate sponsors bear this frontal attack. This is especially true in the medical and genetics industries.
The scientific revolution in the 17th century did not take place in a vacuum, and the ordeals this era scientists went through prove it. The saying “seeing is believing” absolutely did not apply here. The scientific revolutionaries had to break free from traditional belief and forge a new identity. They not only criticized but replaced the medieval world view with their own. This wave would evolve into the world view that was mathematical, methodological, mechanical, and of course, scientific!
Sci·ence n. The systematic study or knowledge of the physical or material world .
One might think that with all of the great scientific discoveries that happened in the 17th century, that they happened over night and that the discoveries seemed to have happened in a relatively short period in time. The discoveries were constructed from and expanded upon, the knowledge gained from earlier philosophers. They were then developed over time. Isaac Newton surely did not awake one morning and discover the laws of gravity, nor did his peers fully understand the laws when Newton lectured about them and described them in his published work Principia . A scientific revolution was in full swing during the 17th century, and the advances were so great that they jumped outside the scope of “general knowledge” of the society. Society, and philosophers too, had problems believing the teachings or discoveries of other philosophers during this rebirth.
The revolution in science, also called the mathematical revolution, took the world by surprise. Science was diffused by public demonstrations, but not always with much success. Galileo on many occasions, asserabled notable philosophers and tried to convince them of his discovery of the moons around Jupiter. These eminent practitioners were allowed to view the heavens through Galileo’s telescope. The telescope, being invented by Galileo, proved to be a wonderful tool to view land based objects and no one disagreed with that. But, when pointed at the sacred heavens, many of the notaries said it “failed” or “deceived” in the celestial realm. The thinking of the people at this time was justifiable, because the telescope had not been proven yet, or granted the same “reliability” of some of the other instruments that were used for viewing the heavens. Many did not have the mathematical knowledge needed to understand the science involved in bringing the skies down to earth using the telescope. It was only natural for them to act in this manner. Even today, look at the knee jerk reaction many get when they have to break something down into its mathematical form. I myself tend to be a selective listener. They must have been selective viewers.
Galileo was not the only philosopher that had to go to these great lengths to inform or prove to the public his works or discoveries. Public viewing was especially the case in anatomy lessons. Many scientists were invited into lecture halls where a surgeon would dissect a body, announcing and displaying the many human organs as they were removed from the body. This lead to the forming of societies or academies devoted to the study of science. Many of the societies were aimed at gathering all knowledge about nature, especially the knowledge that would be useful to the public. These societies ended up as major think-tanks for philosophers towarRAB the end of the 17th century. Science, scientific thinking, and the experimental method had become the norm for many wealthy men who had lots of time on their hanRAB. These amateur scientists often times made great contributions to the scientific endeavor.
This boost was a sign that the general knowledge or mathematical knowledge of the population was growing. The population was learning, and in turn, discovering science for the first time, because I suppose, for the first time in history science actually worked! Through the miraculous achievements of men like Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton, and their sifting through centuries of knowledge, a new world view was created. This view was based much on the previous science and knowledge as it was on the new scientific methoRAB and discoveries.
Issac Newton’s discoveries and publication of the Principia, again is a fine example of this new world view. Newton went out to discover why an apple fell to the earth. His conclusion was, of course, gravity. The Principia documented, for the first time, his laws which not only explained gravity, but also backed them up with the calculus to explain the laws. Many could not understand this calculus or physics, but it had an astonishing impact anyways. Proof! Proof that nature had meaning, and order that was not based upon faith, but upon human reason. Up until this scientific revolution, the churches earned the absolute power, authority, and obedience over science and scientific thinking. Even Newton devoted a major amount of his time to theology and alchemy.
Up until the scientific revolution the philosophers essentially tip-toed around many of their discoveries and beliefs because of theology. At times they didn’t want to believe the theories themselves because of their personal religious beliefs. Science and religion were intimately connected. Scientists (or natural philosophers) interpreted their work in religious terms and saw it as contributing to the achievement of their religious goals. This view has evolved throughout history and in today’s world, I believe science is getting the upper hand. Prior to and during the 17th century, philosophers had to deal with the religious consequences of their views and discoveries first hand and up front. They were the ones who were harassed in public or outcast from society because of their findings. They took the assault personally. In today’s world, the scientist is protected by corporate involvement. The modern day scientist does not have to deal with the recourse of his discoveries. Their corporations or corporate sponsors bear this frontal attack. This is especially true in the medical and genetics industries.
The scientific revolution in the 17th century did not take place in a vacuum, and the ordeals this era scientists went through prove it. The saying “seeing is believing” absolutely did not apply here. The scientific revolutionaries had to break free from traditional belief and forge a new identity. They not only criticized but replaced the medieval world view with their own. This wave would evolve into the world view that was mathematical, methodological, mechanical, and of course, scientific!