WHAT WAS THE COPERNICAN REVOLUTION? - HISTORY - 2024

The r Copernican evolution is a term applied to the great change that occurred in Western Europe in the way of looking at science. At first, its origin is in the discoveries of Nicolás Copernicus about the solar system in the 16th century, but the true scope of that revolution was that it changed the way of seeing the world.

At that time, the most widespread theory of the solar system was geocentric, which stated that the rest of the planets revolved around the Earth. Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, demonstrated through his observations that the sun was actually the central axis of the system.

Nicolas Copernicus - Source: UnknownDeutsch: UnbekanntEnglish: UnknownPolski: Nieznany

This discovery not only meant breaking with the beliefs established and defended by the Church. In the medium term, it meant a paradigm shift in scientific research and philosophy, paving the way for the ideas of the Enlightenment. Modernity replaced the medieval, giving primacy to scientific thought.

Many other authors picked up the witness from Copernicus and continued to conduct research using the scientific method. Among the most prominent were Galileo, Kepler and Newton, who ended up perfecting the work done by the Polish astronomer.

Nicolaus Copernicus

The name of the Copernican revolution comes from an astronomer of Polish origin who lived between 1473 and 1543. This scholar is described by many authors as Renaissance given the breadth of his interests.

Copernicus studied at the University of Krakow and at the University of Bologna. Later, around 1500, he began to train in science and astronomy in Rome. It was in this last field that the scientist made discoveries that would end up revolutionizing science.

In fact, today the expression "Copernican turn" is used when we want to emphasize a result that totally changes the beliefs or customs of individuals or societies.

Heliocentric theory

At the time that Copernicus lived, the most widespread theory about the solar system was the geocentric one of Ptolemy. This model placed the Earth at the center of the universe, with the rest of the celestial bodies revolving around it.

The Polish astronomer proposed a new theory based on his own contributions: the heliocentric. Thus, in his work De revolutionibus (whose name “De Revolución” refers to the trajectory of the planets and stars) he affirmed that the center of the universe was close to the Sun.

Around this, according to Copernicus, the celestial bodies revolved, following a uniform and eternal trajectory. Between these bodies was the Earth, which contradicted the Church and the academics who placed it as the center, for them, of creation.

This theory was later improved by other scientists, culminating in the 18th century by Isaac Newton.

Basis of the theory

The heliocentric theory of Copernicus gave an answer to the problems to understand the movement of the planets. In reality, placing the Sun as the center of the universe was not new, since Aristarchus of Samos, in the third century BC, had proposed this model to explain the lack of stellar parallax.

However, the simplicity of the geocentric model pushed that ancient knowledge into a corner. Part of Copernicus' merit was to go beyond what the human senses saw when they looked at the sky and not get carried away by the ecclesiastical teachings that placed man, and therefore the Earth, as the center of existence.

In the 16th century, many mismatches began to be found in the predictions that accompanied the geocentric model. The trajectories of the planets, for example, did not coincide with those that this model indicated.

Despite the defense made by Ptolemaic astronomers, such as Tycho Brahe, none of the measurements they made were as close to reality as those of Nicolaus Copernicus.

Revolution in science

Beyond its importance for astronomy, the Copernican revolution was a scientific revolution. From that moment on, science and the way of studying the world definitely changed.

As a result of that revolution, at the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century there was a crisis in the European intellectual landscape. The result was the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment. In a few decades, this would mean a change that affected all areas, from science to politics.

Copernican Theories and the Church

Although many scholars affirm that the opposition of the Church to the ideas of Copernicus was not too harsh, there is evidence that they were a clash with his teachings. The main one was that heliocentrism banished the idea that man and the Earth were the center of creation.

An example of this was Martin Luther's attack on the astronomer's writings. The reforming theologian accused him of falsehood and of wanting to falsify astronomy.

Other authors who followed Copernicus did encounter much harsher opposition from the Catholic Church. Galileo, defender of the heliocentric theory, saw his work forbidden.

From medieval to modernity

As noted above, the impact of Copernicus' work went beyond astronomy. Thus, in the first place, it brought about a change in the vision of the world. This went from having man at the center to placing what science could demonstrate. This ended up causing a change in all scientific knowledge.

In addition, it also meant a revolution in the scientific method. After Copernicus, the basis of all discovery was observation and experimentation, achieving much more successful results.

Influence

Scientists like Galileo, Kepler, and later Newton were followers of the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus. From their work, these scientists were presenting new theories until reaching a culminating point: Newtonian mechanics.

According to experts, the acceptance of the heliocentric model was a milestone in the history of the West. It is considered that, with this theory, ended an era marked by religion and its imposition, in force during the Middle Ages.

After Copernicus, Giordano Bruno, Galileo and Kepler, the world of Physics and Astronomy advanced by leaps and bounds. On the other hand, this ended up marking a whole current of philosophers, such as Descartes or Bacon.

In part, the great Copernican revolution questioned the way human beings had had to explain the world. It was not enough to observe that the Sun seemed to revolve around the Earth, but that science became necessary to discover its true mechanics.

References

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4. Westman, Robert S. Nicolaus Copernicus. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Dennison, Bill. Nicholas Copernicus and the Copernican Revolution. Retrieved from ian.umces.edu
6. Kuhn, Thomas S. The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought. Recovered from books.google.es
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