HIST1083 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Scientific Revolution, Copernican Principle, Crackdown
Document Summary
Europeans shaken by reformation and new world, seeking certainty. Not always a struggle between persecuted scientists and oppressive catholic hierarchy. Church view: religion and science merging towards same truth. Control of historical narrative is a powerful and privileged thing. Earth is on lowest rung of aristotle"s great chain of being . Polish bishop- skilled in math and astronomy. Very pious and never condemned by church during his lifetime. Sun at the center of the solar system, not earth. On the revolutions of the heavenly spheres published in 1543. Pope"s major patron of arts and science. Mathematical precision of universe proves god"s existence. Not church rejection of all science as anti religious. Changing social and political conditions (religious wars) make everything political and partisan. Lutheran theological view on salvation appears within his scientific works. Catholic struggle against lutherans leads to resistance to heliocentric universe due to. Crackdown of heliocentrism on being dangerous, lutheran. Patrons included grand duke of tuscany and pope.
