The Scientific Revolution

 

Beginning in the 1500's new ideas about science changed the way Europeans thought about the world. this period of change was called the Scientific Revolution. Since ancient times, people had believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. However, in the 1500's and 1600s, scientists such as Galileo showed that the planets revolved around the sun.

 

At first, the discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo upset many Europeans. Over time, however, a new way of thinking about science emerged. Scientists began to observe the world around them and to develop ideas about why things happened. They did experiments to test these ideas. This new way of thinking was called the scientific method.

 

With the scientific method, scientists made important advances in many areas. Isaac Newton discovered a force that kept the planets in their orbits around the sun. He called that force gravity. In chemistry, Robert Boyle made important discoveries about gases. In medicine, a French doctor named Par'e developed an ointment for preventing infection and began using stitches to close wounds.

 

The scientific method changed the way people thought. Two important thinkers were Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes. Bacon stressed experimentation and observation as the best way to learn the truth. Descartes argued that human reasoning was the best way to gain understanding.

 

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