By questioning accepted scientific thought, Copernicus helped lay the foundation for the coming Scientific Revolution of the 18th Century.
During the 1500s, science was still a new branch of learning. Those who taught subjects such as astronomy, physics and mathematics were considered the lowest men on the academic totem pole. Theology, literature and philosophy were still the main focus of most universities in Western Europe.
Early Scientific Thought
In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, scientific thought was driven in large part by the teachings of Aristotle and Ptolemy, both of whom claimed the earth was the center of the universe. Aristotle broke the universe up into eight crystal spheres, made up of the five known planets, the moon, the sun and earth. Later scholars added two more spheres, to account for slight shifts in the position of the stars. These spheres were fixed and impenetrable and maintained by angels. Beyond the tenth sphere was Heaven and God’s throne. Aristotle’s teachings fit nicely with Christian doctrine (an absolute must for any university curriculum) since it placed man at the center of everything, and gave a specific location for God and Heaven.
Nicolaus Copernicus
While many Christian scholars blindly accepted Aristotle’s view on the universe, a clergyman living in Poland did not. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) spent the better part of his life studying astronomy, and believed that Aristotle and Ptolemy’s view of an earth centered universe to be incorrect. Copernicus turned to a new idea, emerging from Renaissance Italy, which claimed that the sun was the center of the universe.
Copernicus described earth as rotating daily on an axis, revolving around the sun each year. For nearly thirty years, Copernicus worked on a hypothesis based on this theory. He did not dare publish it until 1543, the year of his death, since much of what he claimed would have been considered heresy.
Copernicus could not have imagined that his theory would work against his own beliefs and destroy nearly two thousand years of accepted fact. If the stars were still, then there was no need for crystal spheres moved by angels. Copernicus inadvertently suggested that earth was just another planet, and questioned the placement of Heaven and God’s throne.
Religious Attacks to Copernicus Theory
Not surprisingly, Copernicus’ theory was attacked by scholars, especially Protestants. Martin Luther claimed Copernicus wanted “to prove that the earth moves and goes round…The fool wants to turn the whole art of Astronomy upside down.” Fellow reformer, John Calvin quoted the bible to refute Copernicus’s theory, “The world is established that it cannot be moved” (psalm 93). Catholics, did not pay much attention to the theory, until much later, declaring it false in 1616.
Other events during the 16th Century helped establish Copernicus’ theory as valid. In 1572, a new star was discovered. It faded two years later. This exploding star proved to people that the heavenly spheres were not unchanging. In 1577, a new comet cut its way across the sky, again raising questions about the “impenetrable” crystal spheres.
By questioning long standing theories, Copernicus helped lay the foundation for the coming Scientific Revolution of the 18th Century.
Sources:
Mckay, Hill, Buckler. A History of World Societies: Volume II Since 1500. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992
Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. New York: Facts on File. 2004
