The History of Science

A field of study that dominates more than thinking

Science is a field that everybody comes into contact with, in one way or another. For example, in the winter, people living in most countries require furnaces to heat their homes. The furnaces all undergo combustion reactions, which require extensive study into various chemical reactions to invent the products that meet people’s needs. Chemistry backs simple concepts such as baking cakes, creating bubbling shampoos, and powering homes through electricity. On the other hand, Physics accounts for the seamless integration of the modern world’s technology, only achievable through our geo-locating satellites. Today, we are going to dive deeper into the historical development of Science, and how it emerged to be such a fundamental branch of study.

The Historical Emergence of Scientific Thinking

People haven’t always thought in the modes of rationality or believed in the practical usage of new scientific inventions or discoveries. The development of what we think as modern science first developed in Europe, with England and France being the major players. The period in which scientific thinking became dominant in day-to-day life was known as the Scientific Revolution.

Before the Scientific Revolution and throughout most of the Middle Ages, Europe was especially subject to only believing in the ideas of the Catholic Church. Concepts regarding predestination, as well as bureaucratic rules and rituals stressing the practice of religions, suppressed any effort to promote change to the system. Some classical figures, like Aristotle and Ptolemy of the Roman Empire, dominated university studies even as late as during the Renaissance, with their pre-established “theories” about the world. Such theories are often considered as being downright silly by us today, like the Geocentric model of the universe, or the belief that organisms appear out of thin air. 

The Early Scientific Revolution

Historical events like the Renaissance and the Christian Reformation movement of the 1600s created reverberating effects across Europe, bringing about newer modes, and the freedom, of thought. The first Science area of massive new development was in astronomy, with Copernicus taking the lead in challenging the Geocentric model with the radical idea of the planets revolving around the sun instead. Later on, physicists like Newton broadened humanity’s perspectives of Physics and Calculus.

With the coming of the 1600s, we see more and more nations actively supporting the development of scientific ideas. At the time, science was viewed as a high-end field of practice, and organizations like the Royal Society of London were established to foster communications between groups to debate new and exciting discoveries. The conflicts between France and England were what largely drove this scramble for discovery, as both  countries wanted to gain the upper hand in the field. 

Concepts of the Scientific Revolution

A widely accepted concept of Science in its early stages of development was mechanism, or the belief that there are logical, rational patterns in the universe that adhere to undisputed laws. It challenges the notion that the world was created by God and is relatively young. An example of mechanism being demonstrated is that astronomers like Galileo did  experiments, laying groundbreaking work about the acceleration of physical objects. Also, early Scientific Revolution figures like Francis Bacon and René Descartes established the concept of the Scientific Process together, through their works. Like mechanism, the Scientific Process also stresses experimentation, and the usage of human observation to make sensible conclusions and theories about our world. 

Galileo, one of the early pioneers of scientific thinkers.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay.

The breakaway of the Church is also paired with the independence many scientists sought from their governments as well. With this, the theory of political science emerged, questioning and critiquing the different methods of governing. Political scientists, like John Locke, examined the nature of humans and attempted to draw reasonable conclusions from social environments and political situations. It is, therefore, highly important to note that science is not just about exploring the natural world, but the human society as well. This branch of Science will eventually make its way into the Enlightenment, influencing practical reforms made in other fields, like economics and law. 

As Science broadens in support, making its way into the middle and lower classes of thinking, it also finds itself being spread to many other places around the world, like the Americas, where the Europeans have established colonies. Today, Science is truly one of the strongest forces that lead to cooperation between nations toward a common goal. If you are interested in learning more about the historical development of Science, check out this link: Britannica Article

Some Last Words

All in all, Science is a subject that ties in with all other fields, because its method of rational thinking, trained toward making advancements for the human society, can be applied to all other branches of study. Personally, I am both satisfied and glad that the Scientific Revolution happened and can produce the dynamic world we have today, much unlike the uniform, traditional world of the 1500s. Science is a field that is continuing to grow, but perhaps, by looking at how it originated in the relatively modern world, we can understand it better and appreciate it more. 

(Featured image source: Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay)