We explain what the scientific revolution was, its characteristics and main figures. In addition, what changes produced and more.
What was the scientific revolution?
The scientific revolution was a period that took place between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in which There were paradigms changes about how to analyze and observe reality . New visions of nature emerged as a disciplines that replaced the Greek vision around science that had dominated thought for about 2000 years.
The new disciplines, which formed a new way of understanding science, were physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine and biology, among others. Superstition and religion were replaced by science, reason and demonstrable knowledge leaving behind the attribution of responsibilities to supernatural beings,
Characteristics of the Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution was characterized by:
- Raise new ways of understanding reality, through reason, knowledge and demonstration .
- Brink old beliefs like the earth was the center of the universe.
- Propose the scientific method research.
- Replace the Aristotelian logic around the cosmos with the knowledge acquired through Observation and experimentation .
- Create institutions To endorse scientific research.
- Develop important Mathematics progress that impacted in various disciplines, such as physics, astronomy and chemistry.
- Propose paradigms changes like the ideas of Nicolás Copernicus about the sun as the center of the cosmos.
Figures of the Scientific Revolution
Among the main figures that began the period of the scientific revolution, the following thinkers and researchers stood out, which were the pioneers in raising a new way of understanding the world that surrounded them:
- Nicolás Copernico (1473 – 1543). It was a Prussian astronomer who formulated the heliocentric theory of the solar system in which the sun is the center of the universe and the planets turn around. He opposed the old geocentrist theory in which the earth was the center of the cosmos.
- Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630). He was a German astronomer and mathematician who formulated the laws of the movement of the planets on his orbit around the sun.
- Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642). It was an Italian astrologer, engineer and physicist who achieved various contributions, such as the improvement of the telescope, new astronomical observations, the first movement law called “inertia law” and the scientific method.
- Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727). He was a physicist, theologian and English mathematician who described the Law of Universal Gravitation and established the laws of movement that formed the basis of mechanics.
Why is it called revolution?
The term revolution It was coined in 1939 by the French historian Alexandre Koyré to refer to period characterized by various paradigms changes Around the analysis and the observation of reality.
These paradigm changes occurred slowly and fragmeally, but a period was revolutionary for the magnitude that these new thoughts reached .
Contributions of the Scientific Revolution
Among the main contributions of the scientific revolution, it stands out that:
- The bodies are composed of atoms and molecules And not for “elements”, such as water, fire, earth, air.
- Light is a form of energy composed of electromagnetic waves that impact objects and everything that surrounds us. These waves are reflected and allow the human eye to detect shapes and sizes, among other characteristics.
- Living beings are the result of a biological evolution process natural. The theory made by the British Charles Darwin establishes that evolution or offspring implies that species can change over time, which gives rise to new species.
- Religion and superstition based on beliefs and myths were replaced in part, by verifiable knowledge based on analysis and reason. For example, astronomy could explain various phenomena until then considered as actions of the gods.
- The new discoveries and inventions, such as the microscope, marked The origin of modern medicine And it was possible to understand the circulatory system, DNA, genome and Mendelian laws.
Consequences of the scientific revolution
The scientific revolution had various consequences, such as the creation of New knowledge methods the establishment of New social hierarchies according to the level of thinkers and the conduct of societies towards The industrial revolution .
Above all, the scientific revolution was based on the discovery of reason as a method of construction of knowledge capable of being proven and put to the analysis of analysis
References:
- “The Scientific Revolution” in Khan Academy
- “Scientific Revolution” in Britannica
- “Scientific Revolution” in History Encyclopedia
- “Was there a scientific revolution?” In research and science
