The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment

• At the onset of the 16th century, the Europeans became even more critical of the traditional knowledge and teachings of the Church. A revolution emerged when people began to ask questions about the universe, in relation to the religious beliefs of the Europeans. This launched the Scientific Revolution.
• Nicolaus Copernicus - The first scientist who challenged the geocentric theory of Aristotle and Ptolemy was Polish astronomer and mathematician.
• According to him, the sun, and not Earth is the center of the universe. It is called the heliocentric or sun-centered theory.
• Copernicus decided not to publish his work titled On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres. It was printed through in 1543 by his friends before his death.
• Johannes Kepler - a German astronomer and mathematician, and his three laws of planetary motion ended the belief that the planets revolved in a circular direction around the sun.
• He stated that the heavenly bodies move in an elliptical orbit around the sun. Their speed of revolution also vary; the nearer the heavenly body to the sun, the faster it moves.
• Galileo Galilei - is an Italian astronomer, mathematician and physicist. He is considered as the first modern scientist who acquired new knowledge through observation.
• In 1609, Galileo invented the telescope, which he used in his study of heaven.
• Two of Galileo’s writing are The Starry Messenger, which is about the moons of Jupiter, and the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Word Systems, in which he sided with Copernicus’ theory rather than Ptolemy’s.
• By renouncing Ptolemaic ideas, he criticized not only those who believe in such, but the Church as well, which used these ideas in its Christian teachings.
• The true inventor of the Telescope was Hans Lippershey, but accredited to Galileo Galilei by designing his own model.
• Isaac Newton - was an English mathematician and professor who wrote the Mathematical Principle of Natural Philosophy, more popularly known as Principia.
• In this book, he combined the discoveries of Copernicus, Kepler and Galilei in his explanation on the force that controls the movement of the Earth and other heavenly bodies in the universe, which was gravity.
• He also developed analytical geometry, which later became an important instrument in scientific research. Descartes was known for his statement,“I think, therefore I am,” which means that one proves hisexistence by doubting his existence.