' His ground-breaking "Principia Mathematica" published in 1687 argued that the universe could be explained completely through the use of Mathematics without resorting to theology or the scriptures; that the universe behaved in an entirely rational and predictable way explainable by the laws of physics. Newton thus argued, and proved his arguments by observation and the use of mathematics, that the universe was 'mechanistic' and behaved like a vast machine with interacting objects whose behavior followed the laws of motion. (Hooker, para on Isaac Newton) Importance of the Scientific Revolution

The success of the scientific developments during the 'Scientific Revolution,' particularly the works of Isaac Newton convinced more and more people that if the universe could be understood rationally, then so could other aspects of human knowledge such as economics, history, politics, and ethics. It was only logical to assume that if economics, history, politics, and ethics were a mechanical phenomenon like the universe, they could be engineered and improved. This realization gave rise to the most dynamic era in human history which became known as the Age of Enlightenment -- an era whose repercussions are still being felt by the Western society. (Ibid)

Although Newton and most other scientists of the era were devout Christians, the assertion that most things in the world could be explained without resorting to religion, opened the floodgates of 'secular' knowledge. The realization that human beings had the power to discern truth through reasoning led to an unprecedented exploration in all fields of human endeavor and underlined the power of rationalism and individualism. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke propounded theories about the best forms of government that inspired the American and French Revolutions in the eighteenth century. Others such as the French philosopher Voltaire emphasized the power of reason and sought to discover the natural laws governing human society. The application of the scientific principles developed during the 'Scientific Revolution' to technology ultimately led to the Industrial Revolution that continues to this day in some parts of the world and which has transformed the way in which people live....

("The Age of Enlightenment.")
Conclusion

Out of all the developments that took place during 1500 to 1700 a.D. In the Western Civilization, the 'Scientific Revolution' had the most wide-ranging and long lasting impact. The scientific discoveries and theories such as the ones made by Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton during the period were important enough. The rationalism and the power of reasoning stimulated by the Scientific Revolution, which spread to almost every area of human knowledge in due course, were even more important and are mainly responsible for the current level of human development.

Works Cited

The Age of Enlightenment." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2004. November 16, 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Enlightenment www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=23059466

Hall, a. Rupert. The Revolution in Science, 1500-1750. 3rd ed. London: Peasron UK, 1983.

Hooker, Richard. "The Scientific Revolution: World Civilizations." Washington State University Website. Updated 6-6-1999. November 16, 2004. http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/ENLIGHT/SCIREV.HTM www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=26097779

Shapin, Steven. The Scientific Revolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

The Scientific Revolution, besides affecting the basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy led to changes in the philosophy, painting and architecture of the time.

Generally described as the period from 500 to 1350 AD

Martin Luther published his famous 'Ninety-five Theses' in 1517, signaling the start of the Reformation Movement

Aristotle's 'empiricism' was based on investigating a question by a) examining what everyone else had said about the matter, b) making several observations, and c) deriving principles on from both a and b

Some people believe that Galileo invented the telescope. In fact it was a Dutch invention which was, perhaps, used for the first time by Galileo to study the heavenly bodies.

The Inquisition was the section of the Catholic Church that ensured the 'sanctity' of the official Church doctrine by discovering and punishing 'heretics.'

Scientific Revolution