<aside> <img src="/icons/search_gray.svg" alt="/icons/search_gray.svg" width="40px" /> In this lesson, you will…

1. Explain why the Scientific Revolution occurred during the Renaissance Era.
2. Examine the discoveries and innovations in science during the Scientific Revolution.
3. Discuss the role of women in the Scientific Revolution.

Big Question: What innovations and ideas from the Scientific Revolution are still relevant today?

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A New Era

The Scientific Revolution (1500) was precipitated by several massive changes in thinking…

• The Age of Exploration with discovery of new lands led people to search for other “new” things
• During the Renaissance, people began to question old beliefs and there was a new focus on human achievement (Humanism)
• During the Protestant Reformation, people began to question the ideas of the Roman Catholic Church

The Scientific Revolution, which took place during the 16th and 17th centuries, brought about a radical shift in thinking. It challenged the traditional sources of authority, such as the church, and instead emphasized the importance of direct observation and experimentation in understanding the natural world. This groundbreaking movement was driven by pioneering scientists who sought to uncover the secrets of nature through empirical evidence. By rejecting long-held beliefs and dogmas, they paved the way for a new era of scientific discovery and enlightenment.

This led to…

• Discoveries in astronomy led to a new concept of the Universe
• Advancements in  medical knowledge departed from ancient standards
• A new field of science called chemistry and physic emerged

The Scientific Revolution was based on a new idea of epistemology (how to gain knowledge) called the scientific method.

Using the Scientific Method people observed nature, made a hypothesis, then tested their hypotheses through experiments

The Earth and the Heavens

Ancient belief going back to Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, had placed the Earth as the center of the universe in a system known as Geocentrism.

<aside> <img src="/icons/bookmark-outline_gray.svg" alt="/icons/bookmark-outline_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Geocentrism - (Geo = Earth / Centric = Centered)

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This idea had become accepted as fact by many philosophers of the Middle Ages as well as the Christian Church

In 1543, Nicolas Copernicus began to prove his new theory that the Sun was the center of the Universe; Heliocentrism.

Later scientists, like Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, built off the findings of Copernicus to prove Heliocentrism, but were still not fully sure why the planets revolved around the Sun.

<aside> <img src="/icons/bookmark-outline_gray.svg" alt="/icons/bookmark-outline_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Heliocentrism - (Helios = Sun / Centric = Centered)

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