Human Issues during the Renaissance Era, Essay Example

The first issue is that the scientist Copernicus saw the sun rather than the Earth as the center of the universe system. This viewpoint radically changed the thinking of astrology during that period. Renaissance thinkers often though themselves as being distinct from the ancient and medieval ages. Copernicus had a totally different view of how the Earth lay and how the planets orbited around it. This gave rise to the existence of human life on the Earth as well as possible existence of life on other planets due to the need of the sun to light the planets for growth of plants and warmth of the air. One could say he had a heliocentric view of the universe which still exists in today’s modern scientific world.  The particular audience should peer into whether the findings of Copernicus are consistent with the astronomical finding of today and whether they can be validly proven.

Copernicus, born in Poland is said to be the founder of modern astronomy. His astronomical findings were different from those of Ptolemy, but his theory appealed to that of human nature giving the ability to have life on other planets. Copernicus dealt with Ptolemy’s beliefs that the Earth was the center of the universe, fixed and inert with disarray but he waited patiently through careful observations to apply his theory. Nicholas of Cusa was “associated with the doctrine of ‘concordance of contraries’ which was an attack on the Aristotelian law of non-contradiction as stated by (Blackburn 1994). In the medieval times the universe was thought to be geocentric but today we know through studies of science and mathematics this once thought theory is disproved. It is essentially important to understand that modern astronomy was not simply construed one day for it was built over time with the essence of human life in mind.

George Rheticus was a mathematician during that time that came across these readings of Copernicus and Ptolemy. He wanted to examine the findings of Copernicus for a few weeks but was so intrigued he ended up spending two years with the infamous astronomer. He helped to check and recheck the theories of Copernicus Philosophers of this time sought to apply the theories of science to mathematics to prove such theories beyond a reasonable doubt. One could say this was the ‘law of science ‘that was emerging during these times.  It is important to learn there were others that supported the findings of Copernicus which made his studies more valid and conclusive, mathematically speaking.

Galileo embraced the theory of Copernicus after the death of Copernicus. Bruno did not like the findings of Copernicus that they could reach beyond boundless entities of life. He was eventually burned at the stake in the 1600’s. Galileo pronounced his beliefs in Copernicus’ findings even at his bondage and was forced into jail for the remainder of his life. The church was involved with the effects of both “the schism of Eastern and Western thoughts on the formation and development of the universe” to the point they found themselves in a reform that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation as stated by (O’Malley 2001).  It is important to learn it was not easy to change the mind of people in this era and often people were chastised and killed for their unruly beliefs.

It is important that all three contributors were large influencers on today’s modern astronomy and that is why we know so much about human life on Earth today. Factors of how the development of science influenced and promoted revolutions within the church and society existed and are important to note because of the significant role science and math took on during this period. People were strong believers in what they once knew and were very resistant to change. It is further important to understand that what may appear to be may not be and sometimes with resistance to change comes disharmony even in science, mathematics and application to study of human life. The scientific revolution was not made through the conversion and studies of a single tested theory for these studies had to be proven through great strengths and strides. The study of astronomy can and will further its applications and developments if all is adhered to with an open mind and will to discover what truly lies out there in the darkness of the universe. It is through great progress of past astronomers and mathematicians that has made our greatness and human development what it is today. It is often stated that the scientific revolution fundamentally altered the stance of law because just as there is law of criminal, tort and other constitutional areas to protect injustice and promote good public policy, there are laws of science and mathematics which must be adhered to strictly to postulate and prove theories of hypotheses.

Works Cited

Nicholas Copernicus Retrieved July 7, 2010 from, http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Science/Copernicus.htm

Hornsby, Roy How did the Copernican revolution contribute to the emergence of a scientific world-view? Retrieved July 8, 2010 from, http://royby.com/philosophy/pages/copernicus.html