STS

• The opposing views between religion and science during the Scientific Revolution did not hamper the spirit of scientists to pursue their scientific studies
• Nicolaus Copernicus, a Renaissance man in science, presented a model of the universe with the sun as the centerpiece and planets orbiting around it
• Copernicus' model placed the orbits of Venus and Mercury inside the Earth's orbit, closer to the Sun, while the orbits of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter lay outside the Earth's orbit, farther from the Sun
• Charles Darwin, prominent for his theory of evolution, published the book "The Origin of Species" in 1859, presenting evidence on how species evolved over time and unique traits and adaptations of different species
• Darwin's theory introduced the idea that all organic life, including human beings, falls under evolutionary thinking, superseding prevailing religious or biblical views
• Sigmund Freud, famous in the field of psychology, developed the method of Psychoanalysis as an excellent method to study the human mind and neurosis scientifically
• Nicolaus Copernicus:

  • One of the Renaissance men in science
  • Did not extensively observe heavenly bodies or invite people to validate his ideas
  • His scientific ideas were developed through thought experiments
• Copernicus was influenced by the book Epitome, published by German Johannes Mueller in 1946, which contained observations of the heavens and commentary on earlier works, especially that of Ptolemy
• By the 1500s, Copernicus' idea and model of the universe were fundamentally completed
• Copernicus disseminated a summary of his works to his few close friends in a manuscript called Commentariolus (Little Commentary)
• His book "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) is often cited as the start of the scientific revolution