Copernicus’ argument in 1543 in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium that states that the sun is the centre of the solar system was remarkably forward thinking and radical for the time. Indeed it has been described as a ‘revolutionary new blueprint for the planetary system’ Essentially his thoughts on this were dispelled and his books sold relatively few copies. However it was the far-reaching consequences of his work, which are of note, setting out as they do an explanation for the structure of the solar system far ahead of its time. For this reason, Copernicus’ theory has to be seen as revolutionary in that it did away with previously accepted explanations and threw new light on science and it’s application.
However scientific developments in the (15th were not constrained to ones looking skywards. In 1543, Vesalius came up with new theories on anatomy where he ‘hoped to persuade the established medical world to appreciate anatomy as the foundation of all other medical research.’ His work on the anatomy, in much the same way as Copernicus’ theories on the solar system, was way ahead of its time, as he believed that instead of the human body being a separate entity, it was integral to the understanding of science as a whole.
Further scientific discoveries were made during this period, including William Gilbert’s work on the magnet and loadstones. In his work entitled Concerning the Magnet he set out ‘to examine the legends and scientific facts associated with magnets, lodestones, amber, and other materials that possess natural powers to attract or repel.’ This was important as it tied in with Copernicus’ work on the solar system and the positions of the planets with the sun at the centre. Indeed ‘He described the Earth itself as a giant lodestone possessing magnetic properties.’ This discovery and research was predominantly based on issues much closer to the ground than Copernicus and Galileo’s work on the solar system, but it nevertheless did have an impact on the science of the heavens, adding to the increasing revolutionary thought surrounding the solar system at the time.
However the discoveries did not stop here. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was influential in his work in The Advancement of Learning. As was William Harvey (1578-1657) with his work On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, in which he proves that the heart circulates blood throughout the body. Massive inroads were made in the science of the solar system, where Kepler and Galileo were extremely influential in their publications Astronomia Nova (Kepler) and Sidereal Messenger (Galileo). Perhaps some of the best work of this time comes from Galileo in his research included in Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he compares the Copernican and Ptolemaic solar systems. For its time, this makes for extraordinary reading.
In Galileo’s work in Concerning the Two Chief World Systems he proves the validity of the Copernican system over that of the Ptolemaic one in a way that helps to clarify the theory that the earth, along with the other known planets, revolves around the sun. This publication was one of the chief reasons for his trial before the Inquisition. This speaks volumes for the type of discoveries and the theories that he was putting forward. The fact that he was put before an Inquisition is in itself evidence of the radical nature of his work and the inability of the establishment of the time to accept these new theories. But there is a sense in which the view of the establishment can be appreciated, since the views that Galileo and before him Copernicus were coming up with are, for their time, at best hard to believe and at worst complete folly. Although looking back on it now, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see that it is the establishment who were failing to make any sense, it still seems incomprehensible how Copernicus and Galileo could discover the structure of the solar system with such accuracy, save for the fact that they viewed the rotations of the planets around the sun as circular rather than elliptical. In Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems through his explanation of the Copernican system he manages to get Simplicio, someone who claims he fails to understand the theory, to draw an accurate map of the solar system. The result: the solar system as proposed by Copernicus. ‘Well, Simplicio, what we have been doing all this while is arranging the world bodies according to the Copernican distribution, and this has been done by your own hand.’ It is through the simplicity of his language that the argument becomes ever more believable and leads Sagredo to ask why, since it appears so obvious, more men have not taken up this theory. ‘… If you had suffered… as I have… from hearing the sort of follies that are designed to make the common people contumacious and unwilling to listen to this innovation… your astonishment… would dwindle a good deal.’ Galileo’s response is one that can be understood. For his findings along with the confirmation of Copernicus’ work are somewhat radical and present a problem for the authorities as well as the church. Therefore it was better all round for the work of these scientists to be discarded as nonsense. This leads us to see that the conclusions drawn by Galileo in Concerning the Two Chief World Systems can necessarily be seen as revolutionary, in the sense that it went strongly against the grain of more traditional thought.
From all this we can see that some fundamental beliefs in the sciences were dramatically changed during the renaissance period. Extensive work and new theories were developed on almost everything from learning to the human body and of course the cosmos. What this all amounted to was nothing short of a revolution in the sciences. When old views are challenged and dispelled almost as quickly, the result is a new approach to the subject that is remarkably radical. There is no denying that for the time, such theories as Galileo’s Concerning the two chief world systems and Copernicus’ argument pressing the point that the sun is the centre of the solar system in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium were way ahead of anything that would otherwise have been expected. This has something to do with the Renaissance period being a particularly rich time for men of such brilliance as Galileo, Brahe and Copernicus. However it becomes clear that a lot of the revolutionary discoveries during this period were made in the field of the solar system, although undeniably elsewhere, discoveries were being made that had a huge impact on the world of science. For the most part however, although the scientific revolution may not have been ‘primarily concerned’ with the solar system, and not wanting to belittle the achievements and discoveries of other sciences, the numerous discoveries in the cosmos mean that the scientific revolution does have more of an affinity with the solar system.
Bibliography
Galileo Galilei, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, (University of California Press, 1962)
Science and the Artist's Book at http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Science-and-the-Artists-Book/phys.htm
Catalogue of the Scientific Community Vesalius, Andreas at http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Catalog/Files/vesalius.html
The Warnock Library, Copernicus, Nicolaus: De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium at http://www.octavo.com/collections/projects/coprev/
Rosen, Edward: Kepler’s Conversation with Galileo’s Sidereal Messenger, (Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York and London, 1965)
Rosen, Edward: Kepler’s Conversation with Galileo’s Sidereal Messenger, (Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York and London, 1965), xvi
Rosen, Edward: Kepler’s Conversation with Galileo’s Sidereal Messenger, (Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York and London, 1965), xiii
The Warnock Library, Copernicus, Nicolaus: De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium at http://www.octavo.com/collections/projects/coprev/
http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Catalog/Files/vesalius.html
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Science-and-the-Artists-Book/phys.htm
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Science-and-the-Artists-Book/phys.htm
Galileo Galilei, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, (University of California Press, 1962), 326