Science and Religion in the 17th Century

Science and Religion in the 17th Century

The Interaction between Science and Religion in the Seventeenth Century:

Transforming our World

The world we know today has been shaped by many important events. Some people may see the industrial and the technological revolutions of the past two centuries as central pillars that have helped humanity not only survive, but also advance greatly. Others may see political revolutions as central to our society's progress, be they wars for independence in the colonies of the 20th century, or be they the mother of drastic political change, the French Revolution. Others yet may believe that cultural revolutions, such as the Enlightenment of the 18th century, a phenomenon that spurred great change and bore great thinkers, truly altered society. However, above all, one must note that without the interaction between science and religion and the issues this brought to light in the 16th and 17th centuries, none of the afore-mentioned "revolutions" would have been possible. It is thus undoubtedly true that the intellectuals, and especially the scientists, who lived during these times aided to the great advancement of humankind.

Modern society has developed, in part, because of the struggles of early scientists in the 16th and 17th centuries. These were times of great change, especially in Europe. England was becoming very powerful throughout the continent, particularly due to advancements in Banking and a line of great leaders. Across the ocean, the Americas had been discovered by various explorers, and later settled by both Dutch and English citizens. In order to survive during the 17th century, one had to be hardworking, witty and imaginative. The scientists of this time had all three qualities. [1: Lambert, Tim. England in the 17th Century. Website. < http://www.localhistories.org/17thcent.html>.]

However, surviving during this period also meant conforming, especially with regard to religion. The 17th century was a time of witch trials and other superstitions, after all; non-conformists were severely punished. Medicine was still unable to explain or cure most illnesses, so man needed hope after his short life, and that hope came from the church, an entity that had been known to promise eternal salvation for a small fee, thus amassing not only wealth but also cultural, and with it, political influence.

The previously mentioned scientists of the 17th century thus had an influential voice with which to contend. However, in addition to their impeccable qualities, these men often had money as well. Otherwise said, they were influential. Eventually, due to their exploration of both earth and space, religion was relegated to shakier ground. Advancements such as the printing press and better or faster ships allowed exploration of previously unknown places and spurred the imagination. Science had a "ready to absorb" population, with respect to scientific development, in this sense. Men such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei and Tycho Brahe emerged with new hypotheses about the Earth, the Sun, even the Universe. In other words, these explorers, scientists and other intellectuals were not conforming, and they could not be easily silenced by the church, which posed a great problem for the latter.

Religion and science thus clashed powerfully for the first time during this period, in part because the two entities offered disparate answers to humanity's existence and its place in the universe. Furthermore, once important information was discovered and published, it was not likely that the church would be able to stop the spread of the discovery further, which of course meant that certain things, especially regarding religion, no longer made sense. One such instance is found in the case of the Church vs. Galileo Galilei, who was placed under house arrest for his scientific findings about the Geo-centered solar system. The church contended that the Earth was the center of the Universe, for human beings were thought to be God's creations. The fact that the sun was now discovered to be the center of the universe not only turned this theory upon its head, but also gave the church less sway in obtaining blindly following parishioners and the wealth to which its coffers had grown accustomed. [2: Segre, Michael. Light on the Galileo Case?. Isis, Vol. 88, No. 3 (Sep., 1997), pp. 484-504Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyArticle Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/236153]

To prove his voice, even under arrest, Galileo continued making discoveries, most notably discovering sunspots on the surface of the Sun. Thus, he was not silenced, and his works have survived even to today and have greatly aided other scientific advancements. Another notable example of fantastic scientific advancement and survival is found in Nicolaus Copernicus' Gold Jagiellonian Globe, a globe surrounded by a celestial metal sphere with a clock inside that can tell date, time, month and the position of the sun in the sky. Such machines, though not available to the greater population, at least gave other intellectuals the ability to see beyond religion and start questioning their world, thus paving the way, much later, for the masses. [3: Commemorating Copernicus. Science News, Vol. 103, No. 15 (Apr. 14, 1973), p. 236 Published by: Society for Science & the PublicArticle Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3958075]

These "disagreements" between science and religion, exemplified by such people as Galileo and Copernicus would eventually give way to the Enlightenment in the 18th century, which, as aforementioned, truly transformed the world. Though at the time it was difficult to be on a different side than the church, the obstinate stance of these early intellectuals was eventually rewarded. Without their efforts, for example, the period of Enlightenment may never have taken place. Because these scientists existed and worked hard at making and publishing their discoveries, during the 1700's, society continued to make unparalleled progress in the cultural, astrological, astronomical, political, mathematical and artistic fields.