Scientific Developments During the Renaissance Essays -- European Hist

Scientific Developments During the Renaissance Historians often refer to the renaissance as a Scientific Revolution. It was during this period that Nicolas Copernicus first suggested the revolution of the Earth around the Sun. This was groundbreaking, as previous to this it was generally thought that the Earth was stationary, and all the planets, including the Sun, orbited the Earth. It was also Copernicus surmisal that directly led to the discoveries of Kepler, Galileo and Newton. It could therefore be argued that Copernicus discovery was the most weighty of the Renaissance. However, the huge advances in the field of astronomy often overshadow many an(prenominal) of the developments in other scientific fields, where the scientists Vesalius, Harvey and Boyle also made an impact. Copernicus theory, outlined in De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of Heavenly Bodies, 1543) is often cited as the greatest discovery of the renaissance. However, at the time of it s publication, in the year of Copernicus death, the theory was widely disregarded. The historian Arthur Koestler comments that it does not seem to have generated heated discussion. Moreover, the theory wasnt wholly invented by Copernicus it was hardly revived from ancient texts, and the publication was postp wizd until the year of Copernicus death, for fear of public reaction. The uranologist Galileo comments on thisOur teacher Copernicus, who though he will be of deific fame to some, is yet by an infinite number (for such is the multitude of fools) laughed at and rejected. This evidence throws a somewhat uncertainty onto whether Copernican theory is as important as previously suggested. It would appear that the hypothesis made elflike or ... ... universe today. Kepler used mathematics to support and strengthen Copernican theory as well as hypothesising the laws of planetary motion. Galileo became well known, out-of-pocket to his findings with his telescope, whereas Copernicu s and Keplers ideas were largely ignored. Galileo again proved Copernican theory by discovering sunspots and the timeless existence of the universe. I therefore suggest, in response to the question, that there was not one discovery in the renaissance that was more crucial than the others, but that the determine of these three scientists was equally significant, in that they provided evidence for an astronomical theory, that is still believed today. The discoveries in other fields such as medicine and chemistry were doubtlessly important, but I feel that the discoveries made by Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo were the most significant of the renaissance.