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Copernicus's Role In The Scientific Revolution

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Western Europe in the seventeenth-century thinkers divided into two groups, the "ancients" and the "moderns". The "ancient" group emphasized Aristotle and other classical authors as the foundation of knowledge, in fields such as medicine, mathematics and astronomy. The "modern" group argued that human reason provided the key to knowledge. Their viewpoint contradicted the Christian idea of humanity as tainted by original sin and capable of salvation through God's mercy. They had the belief that God endowed humankind with reason and through that reason the truth would come.

Deductive reasoning is a logical process in which a conclusion is based on the concordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true. In the seventeenth …show more content…

his role in the Scientific Revolution is often misunderstood. Copernicus is commonly known as the man who introduced the idea of a heliocentric universe. He did very little to proof his claim,. This opened the door allowing scientists like Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and later Newton, to develop as a result of what he proposed. Copernicus’ work was ultimately most significant because it changed the way people used physics and astronomy to understand the universe.
In Europe, the eighteenth century was a period of an intellectual, social, and political cause. This was often referred to as the Age of Enlightenment. In academia, the relatively new fields of calculus and mechanics began to influence minds regarding how the universe worked. Politically, the ideas of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and others would give rise to a notion of democracy that would ultimately supersede the monarchical power structure on the European continent. By the end of the century, Adam Smith's economic ideas would provide the intellectual basis for the development of modern …show more content…

Smith argued for encouragement free markets and unrestricted economic interchange within and between nations. He argues that more can be produced in a day, and he applied the same principle to international trade. Each nation needs to produce what is profitable to them. Using this method everybody will gain. While Smiths advocacy of the free market contradicted European policies that were based on monopoly and mercantilism, Smith was using reason to challenge existing assumptions. He held the more optimistic view that freer international trade would lead to more wealth for us all. Smith was also against slavery. He felt that labor contracts negotiated in a free market lead to more efficient production. Smith believed the invisible hand of the market functioned like the laws of gravitational attraction, maintaining balance and harmony in economic affairs. He also concurred with Locke's belief that protection of private property was a core function of

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