The scientific revolution usually refers to the significant shifts in scientific thought that occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. For centuries, the study has been dominated by Greek conceptions, which were replaced by new approaches during the scientific revolution. This change precipitated substantial developments in humanity’s history. Though it started in astronomy, the revolution swiftly migrated to other fields, but physics has reaped the most significant advancement.
Technology and philosophy were divided from one another during the revolution, and science started to be considered as having utilitarian goals. A Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, was the first to put out a thorough heliocentric theory comparable in scope and predictability to Ptolemy’s geocentric system, despite the idea of the Earth’s motion being previously addressed (Renn, 2020). As a result, scientific paradigms altered, ultimately changing how people view science altogether.
The ability to clearly illustrate discoveries in the lab or outside, such as from the Pisa Tower, was one of the advantages physicists had over scientists in other professions (McClellan & Dorn, 2015). Since physicists’ assumptions could be proved, their findings were frequently incorporated into common knowledge more rapidly and without pressure from the opponents. The acceptance of evidence made it possible for physical theory to advance more quickly than in a field like astronomy, where the founders were suppressed or even burnt.
Thus, physics benefited greatly from the scientific revolution despite its beginnings in astronomy. Through time, further advances in astronomy became possible due to the development of physics and its laws. These intersections became a clear sign that science was changing, and it was practically impossible for the Church and other critics to control it as before. Essentially, physics gained a foothold as the fundamental science that led the way to the further progress of humanity.
References
McClellan, J. E., & Dorn, H. (2015). Science and technology in world history: An introduction. JHU Press.
Renn, J. (2020). The evolution of knowledge. Princeton University Press.