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Two Revolutions of the Mind

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A revolution is not always a term to describe rebellion through force. Revolutions can be experienced amidst turbulent times when knowledge and curiosity rise above to encourage questions and action. The term revolution, according to I.B. Cohen, was used to describe definitive changes in Europe in the eighteenth century (Cohen). The Scientific Revolution was born out of war, depravity and devastation in Europe. Soon after came a new era of learning, the Age of Enlightenment, in which using the methods learnt during the Scientific Revolution one could answer their own questions and have access to knowledge. Together, these two revolutions formed a new society; together they created a new world. The histories of the two movements are intertwined and build on one another. Both movements also had impacts religion and economy in the old and the modern world. The Scientific Revolution was the foundation for the Enlightenment. It was the parent idea and its offspring was the Enlightenment. The Scientific Revolution took off after Nicolaus Copernicus published his On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. Copernicus proposed that the sun was the center of the universe, not the Earth. This theory contradicted the Roman Catholic Church’s beliefs as well as the contemporary belief of that time. His arguments were based on math and his approach was through the use of the scientific method (Levack 527). The greater population rejected his ideas, but the few who were intrigued, accepted his theory and continued to test and research to prove Copernicus correct (Levack 528). There was a shift in the approach towards science during the revolution. Scientists in the middle ages focused the on the “why” of the matter – what the purpose of the thing in question was. It was changed from why to how. Major scientists such as Galileo, Bacon, and Newton promoted the methods observations and the study of consequences (Gilbert). The growth of scientific thinking due to the Scientific Revolution lit the flame for the Age of Enlightenment (historyconnections). People were now certain that humans could accept the natural laws, assess the natural rights of humanity, and promote expansion of knowledge and actualize moral values (westga.edu). The goals of this movement were social reform. These thinkers were the first to confront and address the problems of theocracy and autocracy t

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