Scientific Revolution

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What was the Scientific Revolution?

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A new way of thinking based on careful observation and questioning accepted beliefs. Science replaced Christianity as the focal point of European civilization.

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Who were the traditional authorities before the Scientific Revolution?

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Ancient scholars and the Church.

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What is the Geocentric Theory?

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Proposed by Aristotle and Ptolemy, it states that the Earth is at the center of the universe and the planets orbit Earth in perfect circles.

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What is the Heliocentric Theory?

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Proposed by Copernicus, it challenges the Geocentric Theory by stating that the Sun is the center of the universe and everything revolves around the sun.

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What did Galileo Galilei contribute to astronomy?

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He used a telescope to see that the Moon had mountains and that Jupiter had satellite moons. He supported the Copernican (Sun-centered) planetary system.

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How did the Church react to Galileo's findings?

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The Church persecuted him, forced him to recant his beliefs publicly, and put him under restriction in later life.

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Why did Copernicus, Galileo, and other astronomers conceal their writings?

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They feared punishment from the Catholic Church, which was unwilling to accept a different interpretation of the universe.

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What are Isaac Newton's contributions to the Scientific Revolution?

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He formulated the Laws of Gravity and Motion.

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What were the effects of the Scientific Revolution?

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It changed the way Europeans saw the world and universe, challenged the Church’s authority, brought about new technologies, and led to reason and logic being used in other fields (Enlightenment).