The impact of Copernicus’ and Galileo’s on the idea of renaissance humanism
Copernicus published a theory indicating that the sun was at the centre of the universe and that all the planets and stars revolved around it (Sayre, 2012). This went against the popular science of the time, which held that the earth was at the centre of the universe, with the sun, moon and stars revolving around it (Sayre, 2012). Later, Galileo came to confirm Copernicus’ theory (Sayre, 2012). This confirmation led renaissance humanists to put further emphasis on the use of new scientific methods to solve problems. Once it was realized that science was stronger than religion in some aspects, the sciences was given further emphasis in schools and atheist communities began springing up.
The impact of advancements in science and reasoning on the lives of people at the time of Enlightenment
Developments in science and reasoning transformed the lives of people by forcing them to accept logically-proven information as the truth (Sayre, 2012). Prior to the age of enlightenment, most of the ideas that people had, were grounded on tradition and faith (Sayre, 2012). During the shift, people started believing less in superstition and more on facts derived from rational thinking (Sayre, 2012). The industrial revolution took place during the time of enlightenment and it had an impact on the lives of people. For instance, the dependence on agriculture was reduced and urban settlements started cropping up. Western countries, where the revolution first took ground became wealthier because they could exploit the resources that other countries did not know they had.
Reference List
Sayre, HM (2012). Discovering the humanities. New Jersey: Pearson Education.