Scientific Revolution summary

What were the similarities between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment?

1. 16th and 17th Century (Scientific Revolution) vs. 18th Century (Enlightenment)

The Scientific Revolution came first and laid the foundation for the Enlightenment
Europe was mostly controlled by absolutist governments and the church during the time of the Scientific Revolution
However, by the Enlightenment, the church and monarchies had weakened as many countries went through revolutions

2. Not Very French vs. REALLY French

The Scientific Revolution was scattered across Europe, from England to Italy to Denmark
The Enlightenment was concentrated in France
The Enlightenment involved lots of discussions at cafés and salons and began the French reputation for sophistication and even pretentiousness

3. Chill with the Church vs. F the Church!

Scientific Revolution thinkers were all deeply religious, usually seeking the church’s approval often believing that by studying science, they could get closer to understanding God
Enlightenment thinkers, on the other hand, openly attacked authorities like the church without the same reverence for traditional religion

4. Let’s Keep This a Secret vs. Let’s Tell Everyone!

Many Scientific Revolution thinkers were cautious to publicize their beliefs
For example, Copernicus waited until the year of his death to publish his discovery that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the earth being the center of the universe
Enlightenment thinkers were eager to publish their thoughts to gain intellectual recognition and make a name for themselves

5. Let’s Reform Science vs. Let’s Reform EVERYTHING

The Scientific Revolution was fairly limited in its scope to making discoveries in astronomy, physics, chemistry, medicine, and other sciences
The Enlightenment attempted to reform all aspects of life, not just in science, but also education, inequality, religion, politics, economics, philosophy, literature, art, and more

Humans used to live vastly different lives than we do now. They primarily hunted for food and built shelters to protect themselves. However, in today’s world, we are engaged from early morning to late at night, juggling multiple jobs.

Table of Contents

Scientific Revolution vs Enlightenment
Comparison Table Between Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment
What is Scientific Revolution?
What is Enlightenment?
Main Differences Between Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment
Conclusion
References

This is all attributable to the scientific revolution in different areas of life, as well as the enlightenment, which provided a glimpse of hope for development.

Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment have contributed to the development of human thinking and the various aspects of society. People started believing in their thought processes and making decisions rationally.

Because people started using their own minds, it led to the development and discovery of various modern scientific tools.

The main difference between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment is that the Scientific Revolution started way earlier than the era of Enlightenment. The Scientific Revolution started in the 1500s, while the Enlightenment era began in the late 18th century, i.e., from the 1780s onwards. The scientific era was the era that paved the path for the Enlightenment. During the Scientific Revolution, it was witnessed that the crucial powers revolved around governments and churches, while it was the opposite in the case of the Enlightenment era.

The Scientific Revolution is the emergence of laws and theories that paved the path for current scientific research. It started during the 16th century, i.e., 1543 to be exact.

The scientific revolution began with the need to procure the history of our ancestors. The main objective of the scientific revolution was to encourage human beings to think for themselves, to differ on what is right and what is wrong in the surrounding environment, and re-evaluate the mass beliefs that existed in quondam.

Enlightenment, on the other hand, began after the scientific revolution, and its beginning could be credited to the scientific revolution which paved its path.

The beginning of the enlightenment era could be traced back to the 17th and 18th century were the main focus was to develop the intellect of human beings. The enlightenment era was mostly centered in Europe, and during this time, the power of government and churches became almost negligible.

Comparison Table Between Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

Parameters of Comparison	Scientific Revolution	Enlightenment
Era	Scientific Revolution began in the mid 16th century and was older than the Enlightenment era.	The enlightenment era started in the latter part of the 17th century to the early part of the 18th century.
Concentration	Scientific Revolution was distributed in places like Italy, Denmark, Europe, etc. The enlightenment era was concentrated in and around Europe.	The enlightenment era was concentrated in and around Europe.
Power	Power during the Scientific Revolution was mainly in the hands of the government and churches.	During the Enlightenment era government and churches impartially lost their power.
Spread	Thinkers during this era did not want their views and beliefs to spread.	Thinkers during this era were very excited for their views and beliefs to spread.
Scope	Scientific Revolution was limited in scope since it mainly dealt with science-related stuff.	The enlightenment era was broad in scope since it dealt with human beings.

What is Scientific Revolution?

The establishment of rules and theories that laid the way for present scientific inquiry is known as the Scientific Revolution. It began in the 16th century, specifically in 1543. The urge to obtain our forefathers’ history sparked the scientific revolution.

The fundamental goal of the scientific revolution was to inspire people to think for themselves, to disagree about what was right and wrong in their surroundings, and to re-evaluate the widespread views that existed at the time.

Effects- The scientific revolution sparked people to uphold the power of their beliefs. This revolution taught people that the human process of thinking is the most powerful weapon.
Technology- During the scientific revolution, many popular scientific tools were invented because people started to focus on their minds and thinking processes, such as barometers, thermometers, etc.

During the scientific revolution, the government and churches held immense power, and it was mostly concentrated in Europe, England, Denmark, etc.

What is Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment era started after the scientific revolution, which cleared the way for it. The commencement of the Enlightenment era may be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when the primary goal was to improve human intelligence.

The Enlightenment era was primarily focused on Europe, and government and church power declined dramatically during this period.

John Locke was said to be the father of the Enlightenment. During this era, people started to believe that science was the ultimate deciding factor. This era started the protection of human rights and emphasized the power of progress in society.

However, the Enlightenment era exerts influence on the old popular beliefs. The new generation has more rational thoughts that are backed up by scientific evidence and facts.

Main Differences Between Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

The Scientific Revolution was much older than the Enlightenment era. The scientific era started in the mid of 16th century, while Enlightenment started during theater 17th and early 18th centuries.
The Scientific Revolution was scattered and was present in areas of Europe, Denmark, and Italy, while the Enlightenment was only riveted in Europe.
During the Scientific Revolution, governments and churches were very powerful, while during the Enlightenment era, they became fairly less powerful.
In the scientific era, many thinkers of the era were cautious about the spread of their beliefs. On the other hand, Enlightenment thinkers longed to get their ideas and thoughts out in the open.
The Scientific Revolution was a narrow concept that was finite in scope. However, since the Enlightenment era revolved around human life, it had a much wider scope.

Conclusion

The Scientific Revolution era paved the way for new modern research and development, while the Enlightenment era focused on the development of human beings.

Both eras were highly responsible for the rational way of thinking and contributed to the development of society.

References

//plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/
//www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131857.2018.1537832

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How are the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment related?

The Scientific Revolution influenced the development of the Enlightenment values of individualism because it demonstrated the power of the human mind. The ability of scientists to come to their own conclusions rather than deferring to instilled authority confirmed the capabilities and worth of the individual.

What are the similarities and differences between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment?

The main difference between Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment is that Scientific Revolution is based on scientific discoveries in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and astronomy, whereas Enlightenment is based on the concept that reason is the main source of authority and legitimacy.

How is the scientific method and the Enlightenment similar?

Summary point: Enlightenment thinkers placed particular emphasis on empirical knowledge and what they described as scientific method: that is, knowledge verifiable by reference to experiment, experience or first-hand observation. Empiricism was applied to every aspect of human thought and activity.

How are the philosophes of the Enlightenment and the scientists of the Scientific Revolution similar?

Both scientists and philosophers of this period rejected the ideas of the Middle Ages, which they believed were based on superstition and not reason. They also challenged the authority of the Catholic Church, which had rejected the ideas of Copernicus and Galileo, and were critical of the Divine Right Theory.