Questions+for+Discussion+2

Who do you think should be considered the Father' of the Scientific Revolution? Give reason for your answer.

Please provide your views on this statement. Please type your name after you have provided your views.


 * Response:**

We believe that Copernicus should be considered the 'Father' of the Scientific Revolution.

In our opinion, the 'Fath​er' of the Scientific Revoluion refers to the person who laid the foundations for its occurrence, and in other words, whose contributions led to the beginning of it all. For more than 3000 years before the 1500s, people had always believed in the concept of geocentrism. Copernicus was the first who came up with the idea of heliocentrism in the hopes of solving the disalignment of the old Roman calendar with the movement of the heavenly bodies. Although his work was not accepted by the people at that time, his famous book //On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres// provided an intellectual springboard for a complete criticism of the then dominant view of the position of the earth in the universe. In addition, though we recognise that his ideas were presented in a conservative manner through maintaining a lot of Aristotle's and Ptolemy's ideas (such as circular orbits and epicycles), his work was a breakthrough in the knowledge of astronomy and inspired other scientists and natural philosophers.

Therefore, we believe that Copernicus should be considered the 'Father' of the Scientific Revolution as his work aided greatly in sparking off the Scientific Revolution.

//Posted by:

Vivian Goh Low Yi Xian//

 I feel that Isaac Newton should be considered as the ‘father’ of Scientific Revolution.
 * Response:**

The ‘father’ of Scientific Revolution refers to the person who laid down the foundation for modern science and advanced scientific development. Newton, as we all know, is probably the most influential man in Scientific Revolution. He laid down the foundation for science in many aspects such as physics. Newton’s law of Gravitation that postulated that everything which has mass exerts a force on every other object with mass is one of the most important discoveries in science. He combined Kepler’s three laws of planetary movement and Galileo’s work on falling objects into gravity that could explain the motions of every object from a falling apple to the moving planets. This gives humans for the first time an understanding of the fundamental force that governs the universe, in other words, how the universe works, providing new insights and perspectives that promote a paradigm shift in mindset. For instance, the Law of Gravitation has removed the last doubts of heliocentrism, moving from an earth-centered universe to a sun-centered one, making a huge step in the milestone of scientific revolution.

Together with his three laws of motion which describes the movement of all objects, Newton had provided a comprehensive explanation of motion that gives an orderly and comprehensible picture of the heavens and earth. In the process, he redefined methods and goals of the physical science. Newton’s laws of motion were backed by powerful evidence from everyday observation and experience, showing that the laws could be applied to the world around us. This give rise to the practical applications of science in our lives to improve living conditions. For instance, the mathematics of gravity could be used predict the ebb and flow of tides, even in waters where European ships had never sailed, a gigantic leap in an age of seaborne empires and maritime trade. This showed that scientific knowledge can be utilized for the benefit of humans, giving humanity greater power over its environment.

In addition, Newton’s work in science developed the scientific method and promoted Baconian Empicism, greatly advancing scientific development. Like Francis Bacon, Newton believed that one must observe phenomena before attempting to explain them. His work relies heavily on empirical observations and data derived from experimentations. For instance, based on evidence derived from his experiments on light using prisms, Newton revealed that white light is a ‘heterogeneous mixture of differently refrangible rays’. Through this example, we can see that Newton employs inductive reasoning proposed by Francis Bacon, focusing on the study of a particular pattern before making generalizations about natural causes. Newton’s work developed the scientific method through his unique combination of reasoning, mathematics, empirical evidence and experimentation in scientific study.

Therefore, through the above, we can conclude the Isaac Newton should be considered as the ‘father’ of Scientific Revolution as he brought science to a new level in terms of methods and goals, creating a paradigm shift in the mindsets of the people towards science as a practical and mechanistic study that aimed to improve humanity. As a result, this drives scientific revolution, paving the way for modern science.

Posted by: Yang Jing 301 Comment on Yang Jing's post: Just adding on, here's something you can consider: Newton made so many significant contributions to the scientific field and inspired many, leading poet Alexander Pope to express his awe for Newton in a famous eulogy:

"Nature and nature's law lay hid in night; God said, 'let Newton be!' and all was light."

Newton became the intellectual symbol of his own and succeeding ages, which probably makes him the most important figure of the Scientific Revolution and hence, the Father of the Scientific Revolution.

---May 308

In my point of view, sir Galileo is the father of the scientific revolution.

The father of Scientific Revolution refers to the one who set the foundation of Modern Science. Galileo is the first person who used telescope to observe the nature and the first modern scientist for developing the scientific method of experimentation. He made systematic observations of the heavens, thereby inaugurating a new age in Astronmy. By using telescope in an inoocative way, he discovered a series of facts that was enough to reject the medieval views of the universe such as the imperfection of the moon, sunspots of the sun, and four moons revolving around the Jupiter and phases of Venus. Through his experimental data, Galileo's discoveries and Kepler's mathematical laws clearly established the resonableness od the Copernican model. Because of him, the idea of Heliocentrism was popularized throught out the Europe and made more people to aware of the new image of the universe. Moreover, Galileo was also laid down the foundation of the Modern physics by giving contributions to the problem of motion. He demonstrated by experiments and discovered the principle of inertia. By combing abstract Mathematics and practical experiments, Galileo produce a new physics that explained how objects worked in the heaven. Therefore, in both astronomy and physics field, Galileo set the foundation of the Modern science as well as for the Scientific Revolution.

Although Copernics initially rasied up the idea of heliocentrism, however, his ideas preserved his ideas in a conservative manner and only use mathematical means to prove the heliocentrism. He didnt go really far away from the previous model---geocentrism since his model still kept the circular orbits and epicycles. Copernicus relied much on the astronomical data fo ancient natural philosophers and didnt conserve the universe himself. Galileo is the one who gave solid proof of the Copernicus's model.  made Europeans more aware of the universethan the mathematical theories that Copernicus and kepler did.

-Chenjiayi

I think Galileo is the “Father” of the Scientific Revolution. A “Father” is not only one who would have made revolutionary contributions which acted as a platform for others to improve on but who also ensured the widespread reach of his ideas.

Galileo was the first natural philosopher who did not rely on mere speculation of how the Universe worked but who made empirical observations using technological instruments such as the telescope. Based on these observations, he provided evidence which was used to refute theories such as the ancients’ geocentric Universe and support other theories such as Copernicus’ heliocentric Universe. For instance, his observation of Jupiter’s moons refuted Aristotle’s system whereby all celestial bodies revolved around Earth.

His use of empirical observations (Bacon) not only led to a more accurate understanding of the Universe but also to the establishment of the Scientific Method. The Scientific Method was a standardized procedure for experimentation and emphasis was placed on experimentation to test a hypothesis and to collect data, from which accurate conclusions could be drawn. This was important as with experimentation, results were reproducible and this increased the reliability of results. In addition, observations were concrete and could be used to support intangible theoretical explanations. Also, he was a revolutionary as his work on the rate of acceleration acted as a springboard for his successors such as Newton, who united the equal rate of acceleration with Kepler’s Three Laws of Planetary Motion and formulated the Law of Universal Gravitation, perhaps the greatest and most insightful theory. As his work played a pivotal role in the advancement of Science and paved the way for future natural philosophers, contributing greatly to the Scientific Revolution.

In addition, he published his theories in //The Dialogue// in the vernacular such that his ideas were widespread and reached a target audience of not only other natural philosophers but also commoners. The fact that he actively promoted his ideas unlike Copernicus who was afraid to publicize his ideas for fear of condemnation shows that he played a great role in the advancement of Science.

Hence, as his methods of experimentation led to the rethinking of ideas, his observations to establishment of the Scientific method and as his studies influenced other natural philosophers and ultimately led to the progress of Science, Galileo can be considered to be the “Father” of the Scientific Revolution.

Zera

I think that Copernicus is the father of the scientific revolution. To me the father of the Scientific Revolution would be the person who came before others and laid the foundation for others and was the first to make a significant contribution to the scientific revolution. Looking at a time line, one can tell that Corpenicus was one of the first figures linked with the revolution and he did indeed contribute signaficantly to the revolution. He published his idea of an heliocentric universe before any others of his time, and this was an revolutionary idea. It went against the model of the universe that people have been using for more than a thousand years. Some might say that because his idea was not widespread and he did not lobby for it, it was not a significant contribution. But what he did was to propose a new idea that went completely against what the ancients or the church thought, this a leading move for other natural philosophers and figures of the Scientific Revolution to do the same, to step out of the box and try to explain the universe according to what they think, not what everyone else thought. His heliocentric universe was also inspiration and groundwork for other key figures of the revolution like Galileo and it has been accepted till today. Due to his early contributions and leading example, Copernicus, to me, is the father of the Scientific Revolution.

-Ziwei (Miss Liu)-

As for me, I believe that Copernicus should be considered the "Father of the Scientific Revolution". When I think of Father, it refers to the one who sets the ball rolling, as in the one who started SR in the first place. It's just like when we say that Sir Raffles was the "Father of Singapore" and MM Lee is the "Father of Modern Singapore" (though I do admit that there is difference in this comparison). Before Copernicus, which was roughly in the Middle Ages, people had believed in the geocentrism posed by Aristotle and Prolemy for a very long time. Along with the firm ground of God's role in our everyday life, the model of a earth-centered universe had remained unchallenged for ages, though it only originated from simple logic & implication from the  instead of observation and experiment. Copernicus was the first to voice out his doubt about the structure of the cosmos. It seems to me that in the finite vision of the contemporary people, a window was opened by Copernicus to allow people to explore the universe they live in. It is a "revolution starting" statement indeed, in the sense that it fired other natural philosophers' interest to discover more and find out for themselves through valid evidence&calculation. The heliocentrism model was also the ground work of further discoveries, providing a fundamental structure which allowed more modifications to be made later on. As a courageous starter(courageous referring to him being the first for so many years), a leading figure and a provider of the future ground-works, Copernicus is the Father of Scientific Revolution in my point of view.

-Zhang Peiwen

I believe that the Father of the Scientific Revolution is Galileo because he was brave enough to voice his views and present his results after experimentation even when faced with controversy. I believe a true Father ought to be brave enough to take risks and do what he thinks is right. Galileo has not hesitant in voicing his views though he might have been rather pushy sometimes. Without opposition there can never be progress, so by voicing a view different from the Bible, Galileo caused people to think about issues from different perspectives. In addition, negative publicity is still publicity, so Galileo's brush with the Church made him all the more popular and his ideas more widely spread. By doing so, more people were brought to thinking about other theories for natural phenomenons and their curiosities were aroused and this led to more experimentation and research which in turn brought about more discoveries and more accurate theories. Hence I feel that Galileo is rightful Father of the Scientific Revolution as he bravely voiced his views which brought about many positive implications as mentioned above. -Yan Han

I feel that the Father of the Scientific Revolution is Newton for he was the one wise enough to learn from the great scientists that came before him as well as come up with revolutionary ideas through the study of their works. For instance, remaining open to continuous learning, he learnt to combine the two variations of the scientific method (that of induction and deduction) to come up with one that reaped the benefits of both systems. Furthermore, through the study of Galileo's work as well as works in the field of optics, he managed to create his very own telescope which was unlike any other - a Newtonian Reflector that is still being used to this day. Finally, he used his careful observation of everyday phenomena, as well as his background knowledge of the theory of acceleration of free fall by Galileo, to come up with the unique idea of universal gravitation - an idea that seemed to apply to all the visible matter in our universe. Through his major contributions in improving the works of others before him as well as his innate ability to link interdisciplinary knowledge to one another, I feel that Newton is the Father of the Scientific Revolution for he did what fathers usually do - he united scientific ideas, just like how a father unites his family. ---Cheah Qinrong

I think that Galileo Galilei was the father of the Scientific Revolution because Wikipedia says so. will elaborate more later.
 * stood against church->most revolutionary->generated publicity also
 * started with experiments ->Scientific Method

--Moira

In my opinion, the establishment of the heliocentric model is the most significant achievement in the scientific revolution. Heliocentric model refers to the model which placed the sun at the centre of the cosmos. The earth, the planets, and the stars were thought to be rotate around the sun. This model went against the most widely-accepted theories of the universe taught by Aristotle and Ptolemy, which believed that the earth was stationary in the centre of the universe and stars moved around it. In the medieval age, the view of the universe reflected church teachings and the theories of Aristotle and Ptolemy. It showed the Christian belief that God had designed the universe, especially for human being. By rejecting geocentrism, it provided the springboard for a complete criticism of the authority and the dominant view of the position of the earth in the universe. It also raised serious questions about Aristotle’s astronomy and physics. The human role in the universe as well as God’s location also became uncertain. It’s a complete break away from the old ideas and it sparked a major controversy and question which were the basic and foundation of later scientific study. (What Galileo, Kepler and Newton did was either to prove it or improve it).It inspired other scientists to discover more about this issue. Therefore, we can say that heliocentrism was the foundation of the new astronomy. Besides this, its idea of analysing things in a rational way was significant in that time. In the days of medieval age, people got most of their senses and knowledge about the world through the teaching of Bible which was very literally. The literal interpretation on some rhetorical description may lead them to the wrong conclusion. However, Copernicus’ model, based on mathematics and observations, brought the idea of discovering the nature and getting our knowledge about nature through a more accurate and reliable way instead of merely listen to others regardless of what the fact was.(the calendar was wrong according to Aristotle’s theory and the irregular motion of Mars couldn’t be well explained by Ptolemy’s model and it didn’t make sense in some circumstances) This was a very influential effect because it somehow released the fetter on people’s mind through the medieval age and encouraged them to find out more. Last but not least, heliocentrism expressed the idea that we should think deeply. Although it seemed to be wrong according what we saw and what we experienced everyday while geocentrism fitted in everything, it’s still needed to know that we should really concern about the essence of the problem instead of only paying attention to the simple phenomena to get the conclusion. What we see may not be true and we need to use our brain to analyse and think about the problem. To sum up, the establishment of heliocentrism is the most significant achievement for the reason that it laid the foundation of new astronomy and paved the way for other scientists like Galileo, Kepler and Newton. Due to the questioning of universe and the ancients’ theories, heliocentrism also fastened the shook the foundation of the old ideas and helped the production of new ideas. Lastly, it inspired many other scientists to build up new theories. None of other achievements could play such a fundamental and pioneering role, therefore, it should be considered as the most significant achievement in the scientific revolution. Lin Qing

In my opinion, the 'Father' of the Scientific Revolution is Newton, as he had put together the ideas of the scientists before him, Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, and came up with theories to solve problems that these scientists before him could not solve previously. His theories helped explain movement in the universe, and besides Astronomy, helped in other areas of science such as Physics. His ideas had practical synthesis to them as they helped improve mankind. Also, he upheld the importance of empirical data and observation, a process in Science that is still widely used to this date. Firstly, Newton invented the calculus and investigated the composition of light, leading to a huge advance in Physics. For Astronomy, he refined Galileo's theory of inertia, and came up with the Universal Law of Gravitation, first suggested by Kepler as magnetic attractions between the Sun and the planet, then further experimented on by Galileo. The Universal Law of Gravitation helped explain how objects fell towards a moving earth, and how earth and other bodies could move in a regular way in the universe. He used enormous geometric proofs to prove his theory, backed by powerful evidence from the world of everyday observation and experience, showing his conclusions could be applied to the everyday world. His discovery of gravity had practical synthesis: It helped engineers design machinery parts, altered the nature of map making as the geographers realised the Earth was not a perfect sphere, and it was used to predict flow of tides, leading to a leap in age of seaborne empires and maritime trade. It also provided an orderly and comprehensible picture of the heavens and Earth, and power for humanity over the environment, as his one law of gravity explained 'all the motion in the universe'. Secondly, he upheld the importance of empirical data and observation, and believed that one must observe phenomena before attempting to explain them. This led to his observations of things around him, such as light and and apple that fell from a tree, and eventually his many theories in both Physics and Astronomy such as the Universal law of gravitation and the composition of light. This shows that Newton had put together the ideas of the scientists before him, leading to remarkable advances in Physics and Astronomy, with his ideas explaining the laws of motion in the universe, helping mankind with its practical synthesis. This was all made possible through his observations, which he regarded as a very important part of Science and his discoveries. Therefore, I strongly believe that the 'Father' of the Scientific Revolution is Newton. - Dawne