What Were the Causes and Consequences of the Scientific Revolution and How Did It Change the World from 1500 - 1800?

The Scientific Revolution was an important time in history, but it was by no means sudden. The catalyst of the Revolution were a while in the making with writings and philosophies from Ancient Greece and Rome inspiring people and was a long process of gradual of upheaval, up until the Enlightenment. This essay will examine the various, but not inexhaustible, causes that may have contributed to the Scientific Revolution; the teaching and philosophies of Aristotle, Ptolemy and Descartes, The Renaissance, Humanism, the decay of the Catholic Church, the influential theories of Copernicus and Kepler followed by the idea of Scientism. To finish, the essay will discuss some of the consequences brought about by the Scientific Revolution; the Protestant Reformation, the Counter Reformation, the French Revolution, Scientism, Feminism and, finally, the Enlightenment.
Firstly, the Scientific Revolution was not caused by one or two cataclysmic events, but rather a handful of circumstances that had occurred over many years. The philosophers and scientists of nature in the Ancient Greek and Roman era can be seen as the forefathers of the Scientific Revolution. Aristotle and Ptolemy, to name only two, taught that reason and logic could unlock the mysteries of the physical world. This is what the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution valued and believed. Many of the “modern” scientists of the Scientific Revolution were recognizing their pre-modern and ancient roots, but above all, the way they were thinking was starting to change. This was the beginning of the Revolution.
In my opinion, one of the major and original revolutionaries of thought was Descartes. With his philosophy of “I think therefore I am” he created a whole new world of possibility that existed in a world dominated by the “Christian Matrix” His idea that purely because he could think logically and with reason, meant that he existed. This inspired other great minds of the age to think. In doing so people saw a

Bibliography: Primary Resources: Resources Referenced Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History, pp. 303-17, retrieved 14 Apr 08 from http://erepository.adfa.edu.au.ezproxy.libadfa.adfa.edu.au:2048/courseres/ZHSS1201_432792.pdf Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The World: A History, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2007. Secondary Resources: Background Information Resources used to research and gather information Rene Descartes, Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason, and Seeking Truth in the Sciences, retrieved 14 Apr 08 from http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext93/dcart10.txt Galileo Galilei, Letter to Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, 1615, retrieved 14 Apr 08 from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/galileo-tuscany.html Judith Coffin & Robert C. Stacy, Western Civilizations, Vol. B, pp. 576-596, retrieved 14 Apr 08 from http://erepository.adfa.edu.au.ezproxy.libadfa.adfa.edu.au:2048/courseres/ZHSS1201_432787.pdf