The Major Contributors to The Scientific Revolution

The scientific revolution had a very large impact on the advancement of the way people thought about things and the way they examined and viewed the world. Without the scientific revolution we may not have been able to experiment and observe the world the way we do now; instead, blindly trusting in opinions and traditional beliefs. There were so many who contributed to these advancements achieved during the scientific revolution such as Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and René Descartes. Each of these men aided in the scientific revolution providing a better, deeper understanding of the world.

For example, Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, helped to influence the scientific method. He was born in 1561 on January 22 and died in 1626 on April 9. During his lifetime, Bacon spent his time enhancing his interest in the study of science. This interest in scientific philosophy led him to create an early precedent for the scientific method we use today; it is called the 'Baconian method.” While the “Baconian method” led to the modern scientific method, it is considered different because it doesn’t include a hypothesis. However, Bacon wanted to make sure that science was empirical which, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, means “Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.” This type of thinking clearly paved the way for the scientific method we use today. Thanks to the advances of Francis Bacon, people were able to observe the world and learn from experimentation to discover answers and the truth.

Additionally, discoveries and inventions of Galileo Galilei would help to reshape people’s entire understanding of the universe. In his lifetime, from February 15, 1564 until his death on January 8, 1642, Galileo is credited with many discoveries and inventions. He was an Italian astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician. Two of his achievements included improving upon the invention of the telescope and providing evidence that the sun is at the center of the universe, not the earth. This theory is called the “heliocentric” theory and it was created by Nicolaus Copernicus, and it went against the common opinion during that time which was that the earth is at the center. Using a telescope and mathematics, Galileo proved the “heliocentric” theory, that the sun is in the center, to be true. He also used his telescope to discover that like the moon, Venus has different phases. Galileo’s evidence that the earth rotated around the sun got him in trouble with the Roman Catholic Church because this discovery went against their beliefs. The church would go as far as to place Galileo under house arrest. However, this evidence to support Copernicus’s discovery was an important part of the scientific revolution because it opened people’s minds to new possibilities.

Furthermore, René Descartes is a French philosopher who impacted the scientific revolution. Descartes was born in 1596 on March 31 and died on February 11, 1650. He is considered the “Father of Modern Philosophy” and contributed many ideas to the scientific revolution during his time. Descartes focused on logic; he did not want to believe anything was true until it was proven to be true. He was an advocate for advanced thought and reasoning, and he wanted people to know that just because something seems true doesn’t always make it so. Decartes is quoted saying “I think, therefore I am” which explains that because he can think he has proven that he exists, making his existence true. This is an example of the type of philosophy Descartes wanted to promote. Because of the many different philosophical ideas revealed by Descartes, the way people viewed everyday life and the things they thought they knew were changed forever.

Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and René Descartes concocted new ideas and discoveries that improved fundamental parts of life. These three men embody the meaning of the scientific revolution. They showed people that thinking outside of the box and trying things differently is what leads to great discoveries. Because of them, we can now learn and discover new things, and we can be willing to do things differently.