What were the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment?
The Scientific Revolution marked a change in the way that people thought, observed, and solved problems. A main change was from deductive reasoning– starting with a premise and discarding evidence that didn’t support it– to inductive reasoning, where one should start from gathering evidence and then reach a conclusion based on that. It began with changes in Astronomy, especially the idea that planets revolved around the sun, rather than everything revolving around the Earth. The Enlightenment was practically a direct result of the Scientific Revolution. People saw the world as less of a mystical place, able to be explained by reason instead of supernatural forces. In the Enlightenment, philosophers held that the universe is completely tangible, the scientific method could solve all basic questions, and through education, the human race can improve itself almost limitlessly. Enlightened philosophers especially stressed that all people are equal, because all possess reason.
