DBQ: The Scientific Revolution

Words: 782
Pages: 4

The Scientific Revolution was a movement that brought many historical changes in thoughts & beliefs of many Europeans, which eventually changed Europe. The Scientific Revolution began roughly between 1550-1700. This revolution began with about 100 people. Among these 100 people were Nicolaus Copernicus, who asserted a heliocentric (sun-centered) cosmos, which ended with Isaac Newton’s universal laws and idea of a mechanical universe. There were many developments in many fields including chemistry and astronomy. This revolution would lead to the Enlightenment. There were religious, political, and social factors that affected the work of scientists during the Scientific Revolution in positive and negative ways.
Some of the religious factors that affected the work of scientists positively are shown in documents 1 and 2. In document 1 Nicolaus Copernicus states that his science can benefit the Church. He dedicated his work to the pope because he needs
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Religious factors affected this intellectual social movement, just like the Scientific Revolution. Although many Enlightenment thinkers were educated in religious groups, these groups only gave these thinkers opposition against certain religions who would then apply reason to religion and create Deism, atheism, materialism, and skepticism. Social factors affected the Enlightenment when the actual realities of society had only contrasted with the idea of a society as a social contract, which led to the search of a higher form of social organization based on natural rights. Political factors affected the Enlightenment by the way monarchies had functioned during that period. Absolute monarchs weren’t necessary anymore and Enlightenment thinkers were now proposing ideas for new forms of government. These included democracy and monarchies with democratic elements. The Scientific Revolution had these same factors that greatly affected its course throughout its