Day 69: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – Copernicus To Newton.

The bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go. (Galileo Galilei)

Thinking about the musings from Day 68: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – (Part 2).…

I would submit to you that although Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model of the universe may appear to match up nicely with the Book of Genesis regarding Earth and its place in the universe, the reality is that this model is still flawed. I would submit to you that this flaw regarding Ptolemy’s claims regarding the Earth, is about to be uncovered by several individuals…from several locations…and from several time periods…

Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model of the universe was so influential in the field of astronomy, this model was the basis for how astrological and astronomical charts were created for over 1500 years.

For centuries, Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model was in fact endorsed by the Catholic Church at the university level throughout Europe in large part because of the book of Genesis.

(Earth is mentioned 21 times in 17 verses relating to the first 6 days of the creation of the universe in Genesis, as can be seen in the following post: Day 68: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – (Part 2).)

However, as the 1300’s turned into the 1400’s, the Italian Renaissance began to take root and the questioning of astronomy, (and anatomy for that matter), began with a trickle…

And ultimately this flood of knowledge would change the landscape in the fields of both astronomy and anatomy forever.

In the end, the Scientific Revolution Part 1 had 5 scientists throughout Europe stacked like dominos…that once the first fell over, the rest eventually fell.

And with it, Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model of the universe fell with them.

I now wish to submit to you, a brief summary of the main events of the major scientists that were involved in creating collectively what I refer to as the Scientific Revolution – Part 1:

Nicolaus Copernicus; Poland; (1473 – 1543); A Polish, Catholic monk and astronomer, he proposed that the sun was motionless, not earth, and as such, the sun was the center of the universe, and we revolve around it. The Heliocentric Model, (or Heliocentrism), was now a viable option to not only compete with, but ultimately replace, Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model;

Tycho Brahe; Denmark; (1546 – 1601); Brahe collected 20 years of data of what he observed in the night time sky. The 20 years of data collected would ultimately prove to be invaluable to in confirming the Copernicus and his Heliocentric Model;

Johannes Kepler; present day Germany; (1571 – 1630); Kepler combined the 20 years of data collected from Brahe, (Brahe lived with Kepler his last year of life), and applied his knowledge of math to this data. Kepler came up with, among other things, the elliptical orbits of the known planets. Ellipses are irregular shapes, which contradict the claims of Ptolemy’s geocentric view of the planets, claiming they all moved in perfect circles around Earth;

Galileo Galilei; Italy; (1564 – 1642); Galilei, confirmed the following, in large part with the new technology created at the time, the telescope:

1) Confirmation of the phases of Venus;

2) Observing 4 moons orbiting Jupiter;

3) Observing Saturn’s rings;

4) Observing sunspots and;

5) Observed the imperfections of the surface of the moon.

It is important to note that although historians credit Francis Bacon as the first to formalize the concept of the modern, scientific method, Bacon would have been unable to be credited with this discovery without both the work of Copernicus and more importantly, Galileo, in the field of astronomy.   

Isaac Newton; England (1643 – 1727); Newton used math and physics to confirm Kepler’s laws regarding elliptical orbits, and Galileo’s laws regarding motion for things on Earth.  These discoveries, confirmed the theory that Copernicus had first opined in his book released in the year of his death in 1543, the Heliocentric Model of the universe.

The discoveries of Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and Newton, in the field of astronomy regarding the earth and its position in the universe were right. Combined these 5 astronomers, data-collectors, mathematicians, and scientists, over a period of just under 200 years, proved that Ptolemy’s Geocentric, Earth-centered view of the universe…

Was wrong.

So what these scientists did in the field of astronomy, (while similar discoveries were taking place in the field of anatomy by the likes of Vesalius, Harvey, Leeuwenhoek and Boyle), confirmed, was that Ptolemy, (and his equal in the field of anatomy, Galen), were wrong, regarding where we are in the universe, (and among other things, confirmed that the human heart acted like a pump, not like Galen claimed, a furnace, to move the blood around the body).

If Ptolemy was wrong with the Geocentric model of the universe in anatomy, and Galen was wrong with the function of how the human heart moves blood around the human body in anatomy, doesn’t that lead to the idea that the Catholic Church was wrong, in endorsing both of these scientists?

For well over 1000 years?

We have been led to believe that the science, as we know today…tomorrow…or how far into the future you choose to read this…is settled.

Or is it?

So what happened in the Scientific Revolution Part 2?

That will be covered next time.

Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to figure out the basics regarding the Scientific Revolution – Part 1. Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to understand what some scientists over in Europe over 500 years ago in these scientific fields relate to your reliance on the Holy Bible today.  Instead, embrace the idea that as you continue to learn about the Earth and the universe, there is a peace that comes knowing that it will all eventually make sense. 

¹⁶ The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.  (Psalm 115:16 KJV)

Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?

Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 69: The Scientific Revolution – Part 1 – Conclusion.

If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.

Please feel free to go back to where all of this began:

Day 1: What Is A Mid-Life Crisis?