The Scientific Revolution was important for many reasons. It followed the Renaissance, which was a period of "rebirth." Also, during the Renaissance, Greek philosophers were viewed as the ultimate source of authority, next to the Church, of course. The logical thinking of many ancient Greeks helped the Scientific Revolution on its way, but they also hindered it. Some of the new ideas that came through the Renaissance was that individuals were important. From that came the concept that people shouldn't just believe what they were told, but see things for themselves. That was what one scientist, Galileo Galilei did. Aristotle said that a heavier object would fall faster that a lighter one. Galileo tested it, but was shocked. Both objects fell at the same speed. Aristotle was wrong.

This upset many people. Aristotle was accepted by the Church, and to go against Aristotle and the other Greeks was to go against the church. However, much resistance was met, this still was a very important place in history. The Greeks had been challenged, and proved wrong by individual experimentation, even if the notions weren't widely accepted yet. But this wasn't even the first time. The Polish scientist Nicolas Copernicus studied the skies. He found that Ptomely was wrong in his assumption that the Earth was the center of the Solar System. The planets' motion would have to be exceedingly sporadic, so he cam up with his own theory; that the planets circled the Sun, not Earth. This type of thinking of and correcting was a major part of the Scientific Revolution, along with the disproving of incorrect old ideas.



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