1. The Significance of the Scientific Revolution
Marked a shift from the perception that truth is revealed solely through the Bible and the Church to the perception that truth could be learned through experience and investigation.
Challenged religious teachings on the origins of the universe and explanations for natural phenomena.
Number of scientific academies and museums grew with the support of monarchs. The Royal Society of London and the French Academy of Science
Scientific method paved the way for modern science: anatomy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine.
Served as the beginning of the challenging of established ideologies, leading to the Enlightenment and eventually political revolutions in 18th century (U.S., French)
The most obvious result of the Scientific Revolution was the rejection of ancient and medieval systems in science, astronomy, and medicine. After the Scientific Revolution, many previously accepted theories had been completely disproved or discarded.
The methods developed during the Scientific Revolution would fuel discoveries for centuries to come. Basing science more firmly in empiricism made conclusions more consistent, reproducible, and accurate.
The Scientific Revolution also set the stage for the Enlightenment. Like the pioneers of the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment thinkers strove to make conclusions based on observation, logic, and reason, rather than on faith.
Though the Scientific Revolution had little immediate impact on society as a whole, its long-term repercussions can still be felt today. Perhaps more important than the specific advances in science, the Revolution represented a shift in worldview: it was an intellectual revolution that changed the way that people saw and interpreted the world around them.