The Scientific Renaissance was a period of world history which saw the emergence of modern science and overturning the medieval understanding of the world and science.
The Scientific Renaissance took place between the mid 15th Century and late 17th Century. Some consider two distinct phases of the Scientific Renaissance
- 1450–1630 – Scientific Renaissance and rediscovery of the knowledge of the ancients.
- 1630- 1687 – Scientific Revolution – innovation of new ideas, focused on Sir Issac Newton.
- 17th Century – Age of Enlightenment – a continuation of scientific progress.
The Scientific Renaissance included the development of the scientific method. This involves testing the hypothesis through verifiable data. The significance of this is that it moved science from theory and conjecture to provable fact. This development of scientific method enabled new discoveries ranging from blood circulation in the body, to the place of the earth in the solar system.
A defining moment in the history of science was the publication in 1543 of Nicolaus Copernicus’s De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) This placed the earth as a planet orbiting the sun – as opposed to the prevailing geocentric view of earth. Copernicus’s work was strengthened by Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.
Aspects of the scientific revolution
The law of gravity. In physics, Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and gravity gave a comprehensive understanding of the universe based on these new ideas.
Anatomy. In anatomy, there was a rapid growth in understanding the mechanics of the human body, through dissection.
Circulation of blood. William Harvey’s discovered the role of the heart in circulating blood around the body.
Dentistry. Pierre Fauchard developed the first systematic methods of dentistry and looking after teeth.
Chemistry. In the seventeenth century, Robert Boyle and others helped to develop chemistry as a distinct subject from alchemy
People of the Scientific Renaissance
Nicholaus Copernicus (1473- 1543) A Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric view of the universe. His teaching that the earth revolved around the sun placed him in opposition to the established teachings of the church. Copernicus is viewed as a key figure in the new scientific approach. He was also an astronomer, physician, economist, diplomat, classics scholar and jurist.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German scientist who played a key role in the 17th Century scientific revolution. He created the laws of planetary motion, which influenced Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravitation.
Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) French philosopher and mathematician. Dubbed the father of modern philosophy, Descartes was influential in a new rationalist movement. Descartes set a precedent for examining issues and trying to avoid any presumption. Descartes offered one of the most famous philosophic statements ‘Cogito ergo sum’ – “I think, therefore I am”
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “People of the Scientific Renaissance”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net Published 18 October 2018.
Famous Men of the Renaissance & Reformation
The Scientific Renaissance at Amazon
Related pages
Famous scientists – Famous scientists from Aristotle and Archimedes to Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.