Before the Enlightenment could occur, something important had to happen first: the scientific revolution. The scientific revolution was all about figuring out how the natural world worked. At the time, the believed theory was that the earth was the center of the universe and all the stars moved around it. This theory was called the geocentric theory. Copernicus believed otherwise. He said that the sun was, in fact, the center of the universe and the earth revolved around the sun and believed the earth traveled in a circular path. This new theory was called the heliocentric theory. After Copernicus came Kepler who took the heliocentric theory one step further. Kepler believed that the earth and the other planets did not travel in a circular path around the sun but an elliptical path. The next scientific breakthrough was made by Galileo who created the telescope. This allowed people to observe the planets and stars in a whole new way, which opened up a new way of thinking. The Catholic Church was not a fan of this new heliocentric theory because it challenged their previous teachings and their conception of heaven and the universe. After all of these new discoveries, most people accepted this new theory, however they could not explain motion and how the planets stayed in orbit. This was soon answered by Newton, who defined this question with 3 laws. Newton’s world-machine theory was the new accepted idea. Another Key person to look at is John Locke. Locke was not part of the scientific revolution but his teaching of life, liberty, and property will play an important role in the enlightenment. All of these great men helped to discover the laws that regulate the natural world. They ignited a new way of thinking, one where there were always questions and a thirst for answers which sparked the enlightenment. Without the scientific revolution, there could be no enlightenment. The first main philosopher to take part in the enlightenment pe