Genius During The Scientific Revolution

This new age of anatomical research led to advancements in the knowledge of the human body. Andreas Vesalius fueled the fire with his discoveries and changed the way people viewed anatomy. Some of his contradictory discoveries included:

In the book “ The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction”, Lawrence Principe discusses the general occurring events of the scientific revolution, and overviews various in-depth details in relation to those events. People at the time highly focused on the meanings and causes of their surrounds, as their motive was to “control, improve and exploit” (Principe 2) the world. In his work, Principe has successfully supported the notion that the Scientific Revolution stood as a period in time where one's innovation would drive improvements towards change and continuity of future innovations, along with changes of tradition. His statement is strongly backed by his detailed and particular order of events throughout the book. Nevertheless, certain details that lead beyond the necessary background are found, as they do not appertain to the general line of the book, but rather for background knowledge.

During the Scientific Revolution scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, Descartes and Bacon wrestled with questions about God, human aptitude, and the possibilities of understanding the world. Eventually, the implications of the new scientific findings began to affect the way people thought and behaved throughout Europe. Society began to question the authority of traditional knowledge about the universe. This in turn, allowed them to question traditional views of the state and social order. No longer was the world constructed as the somewhat simple Ptolemaic Model suggested. The Earth for the first time became explicable and was no longer the center of the universe. Many beliefs that had been held for hundreds of years now proved to be

The Scientific Revolution was when modern science was essentially established, which came along with the major scientific discoveries took place at the time. Some major scientists that contributed to this major era include Nicholas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton. The scientific revolution took place following the Renaissance, from the mid-1500’s until about 1700. This revolution took place throughout Europe. This occurred because, following the Renaissance and the reformation, people became very curious and wanted to understand how the Earth worked. It was almost as if, being that this occurred after the reformation, that they wanted to either confirm or refute the church’s claims. The significance of the scientific revolution was one of great proportions, it changed mankind’s understanding the importance of science, and of how the Earth and solar system function.

Andreas Vesalius published a book entitled “The Fabric of the Human Body” which was published around the time that printing first came about. His specialism was anatomy, and in the book that he

The Enlightenment was a period characterized by the idea that people’s use of reason could unlock the mysteries of the world around them. Thinkers of the Enlightenment saw all aspects of the world—religion, wealth, and the earth itself—as being understandable through natural laws. The reliance on and application of reason on the different aspects of the world used by Enlightenment thinkers was directly informed by the Scientific Revolution. In essence the presentation of and descriptive power of Enlightenment theories and ideas would not have been possible without the strengthened exploratory and explanatory rigor established in the Scientific Revolution.

What were the major ideas behind the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment? Include three major Enlightenment scientist and/or philosophers in your essay. How did the Enlightenment change the world view of Western civilization?

This book encouraged further study of human anatomy by various physicians throughout the Scientific Revolution. Ambrose Paré was an influential French physician in the early 1540s. He studied ways to prevent infections more effectively. Also, Paré created new techniques for surgery, began the use of artificial limbs, and invented several medical tools. In the early 1600s the circulatory system was studied for the first time by William Harvey, an English scholar.

The Scientific Revolution was at its height during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with many supporters and critics of the works of scientists. It was the transition from the medieval, philosophical and religious perspective to a secular and rational perspective. One of the biggest debates that defined the Scientific Revolution was the debate over whether the universe was geocentric (with the earth at the center of the universe), or heliocentric (with the earth revolving around the sun). The works of these scientists was influenced by political leaders for their desire in power, the clash of ideas between religious leaders and institutions, and differentiation towards female scientists and unorganization in research. In all, each of these three parts of society contributed to the Scientific Revolution in very important ways.

Dissection of human bodies became popular during the Renaissance time as people started to redraw and disprove previous beliefs about human anatomy. Interest in anatomy grew for artistic and medicinal purposes. Artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo began “integrating their knowledge of surface and deeper anatomy into their paintings” (Wear). However, the majority of anatomical knowledge at this time was based on Greek and Medieval Italian dissection of animals (Ghosh). Comparing animal bodies to the human body provided its’ inconsistencies, and anatomists like Andreas Vesalius pointed them out and disproved what was considered factual. His studies inspired scientists years to come to venture into anatomy and dissection as well.

The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, which spanned from the late 1500’s to 1700’s, shaped today’s modern world through disregarding past information and seeking answers on their own through the scientific method and other techniques created during the Enlightenment. Newton’s ‘Philsophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ and Diderot’s Encyclopedia were both composed of characteristics that developed this time period through the desire to understand all life, humans are capable of understanding the Earth, and a sense of independence from not having to rely on the nobles or church for knowledge.

“I strive that in public dissection the students do as much as possible so that even the least trained of them must dissect a cadaver before a group of spectators, he will be able to perform it accurately with his own hands; and by comparing their studies one with another they will properly understand, this part of medicine.” - Andreas Vesalius, In these next paragraphs I will prove to you how smart and intelligent of a man Andreas Vesalius was. Andreas Vesalius was born December 31, 1514 in Brussels, Habsburg, Netherlands. His parents are Isabel Crabbe and Andries Van Wesel. As a kid Andreas loved the dismemberment of animals.

William Harvey was born in 1578 in Folkenstone, England. Like many young scholars at the time, he went to Kings College, graduated, and then enrolled at Italy’s famous medical school, University of Padua. As he graduated with high honors, Harvey also accumulated mixed experiences and knowledge coming from his predecessors and colleagues. Among such, the teachings of Claudius Galen regarding the heart’s circulation proved most profound and vague to Harvey. According to Galen, “A natural spirit promoting growth and nutrition was added in the liver and carried throughout the body by the veins” (Silverman 245). Galen suggested that all pulmonary artery and veins were centered on the liver. His hypothetical assumption resulted in a flawed belief about the

Vivisection and dissection were the ways in which anatomists discovered the anatomy of the human body and the way it functioned. Vivisection was an extremely emotional issue; people didn’t believe that cutting up a human being whilst dead, let alone alive was respectful, so it was condemned in some countries. However, during the Ptolemaic age in Egypt it became possible for Greek and other anatomists to dissect and vivisect in a free and unrestricted environment. This change in attitude was due to the philosophical teachings of Aristotle. The ready supply of criminals able to be used for vivisection also made this controversial practice possible.

William Harvey was a distinguished physician of the seventeenth century. Harvey was educated by some of the great scientists of his time and was highly knowledgeable of the scientist theories preceding his time. Harvey was greatly intrigued by the views of the ancient Aristotle and developed a number of his own ideas based on Aristotle’s theories. It was from Aristotle’s theory of the primacy of blood that allowed Harvey to make breakthroughs about circulation and generation of animals. His advancements greatly enhanced the study of anatomy. Harvey also revolutionized the means by which science was performed through the use of innovative, investigational techniques. William Harvey became a