by The Scientific Revolution, a period from the late 16th century to early 18th century, marked a breakthrough in the approach to science, which led to mass discovery and innovation in the scientific community. Led by brilliant scientists such as Galileo, Newton, Copernicus, new methods of science were introduced and gave foundation to many of the modern science fields that we know of today. The separation of science and religion as well as the process of experiment to scientific method were major ideas that came about in the Scientific Revolution. This new way of thinking had an immediate influence and effect on societies. The Scientific Revolution contained ideas that transformed societal behavior and beliefs, economic standards, and technological innovation.
During the time period of the Scientific Revolution (16th-18th century), new ideas influenced societies to begin to look at life in a completely different way. Because scientific priorities were now majorly based in experimentation and “pure” science, humans became more concerned about the physical world. Prior to the late 16th-early 17th century, societies obtained their information about the world from psychologists and the church. The Revolution period encouraged people to instead open their eyes to a more of a creative and curious mindset when consuming information about the world. People also began to realize that the church distributed restricted information, and the trust of the church as an authority was questioned by many. Additionally, an abundance of scientists at the time were preaching to others that they do not have to rely on the church or any other authority for information and conclusions. Because of this, a trend of disconnect arose between many people and the church.
A significant role in communicating these innovative scientific ideas was the Royal Society of London. Established in 1660 by Robert Hooke, the Royal Society was an academy where modern scientists could collaborate and exchange ideas with each other. The end goal of this organization was to work together as scientists to build trust with society about science in order to massively spread their revolutionized thinking.
Another major impact of the Scientific Revolution on society was on the economy. The advancements of technology and overall development of machines in society opened up new economic opportunities. The scientific method propelled a large amount of mechanical capabilities, and the Revolution allowed for people to have the innovative mindset to incorporate new technologies into business. Another market that took off as a result of the Scientific Revolution was medicine. Scientists made huge strides in biological fields, which gave them a greater understanding of the human body and possible treatments for ailments. Advancements in other fields, such as physics, math, and astrology led to other discovery and innovation, which further widened humans’ view of the world.
The Scientific Revolution transformed 16th through 18th century societies, especially influencing the way in which people thought and viewed the world. Many of the concepts and ideas that were introduced during the Scientific Revolution are still evident in the scientific community, including the scientific method and foundational understanding of many fields of science. Modern scientists take these foundational ideas and adjust them over time to strengthen the scientific accuracy, as science and technology continues to innovate at a rapid pace.
Sources:
https://cnx.org/contents/Obp6KDON@1/The-Impact-of-the-Scientific-Revolution-A-Brief-History-of-the-Experimental-Method-in-the-17th-Century
https://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/scientificrevolution/context/
Shapin, Steven. Scientific Revolution. University of Chicago Press, 2018.