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CHAPTER III

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, the students must able to:

1.) Discuss the paradigm shift through history

2.) Articulate ways by which society is transformed by

intellectual revolutions in science and technology.

3.) Explain how the Intellectual revolution changed the

way how humans see the world.

The previous chapter tackled how historical antecedents have affected

the course of science and technology. It has been established that most, if not
all, of the discoveries and inventions in science and technology during each
time period were due to human needs and wants. Brilliant minds responded to
the call of the times and created things that could make life easier for the
people.

There have also been instances when advancements in science and

technology changed people’s perceptions and beliefs. Much of these events
happened in a period now known as the Intellectual Revolution.
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Scientific Revolution
The traditional view of the people before scientific revolution was that
the era was intellectually dormant after the fall of the Roman empire or also
known as the Dark Ages (500 to 1500 A.D.).
It is the period where paradigm sifts occurred. It is where the
scientific beliefs that have been widely embraced and accepted by the
people where challenged and opposed. During this time, numerous
achievements were made in science and astronomy. The modern scientific
method of observation, hypothesis, experimentation, analysis and
conclusion was refined. These advancements of science and technology
changed people’s perception and beliefs.
The burst of scientific and intellectual activity took place during the
Scientific Revolution is important because it laid the foundations for many
of the modern scientific disciplines, and in some cases drastically changed
our views of ourselves, the world and humanity’s place in the universe.

Copernican Revolution
In the early times, people questioned what created days and nights.
They wanted to understand what heavenly bodies like stars, moons, and
planets are. The invention of the telescope allowed the people to take a
peak at the outer space, but more importantly, it also intrigued them to know
what was actually out there.
Many Greek philosophers and intellectuals wrote bout planets in an
attempt to explain movements of heavenly bodies and their effects on the
world as they knew it. Many of the philosophers agreed that planets moved
around in circular motion, and that these movements created days and
nights, among others.
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A famous philosopher and astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy, stated

that the planets, as well as the sun and the moon moved in circular motion
around the Earth. The sun and moon’s revolution explained the existence
of days and nights. He believed that the earth was at center-a concept called
geocentrism. Ptolemy’s geocentric model was widely accepted by the
people and was one of the greatest discoveries of that time.
In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish mathematician
and astronomer, challenged the Ptolemaic model. He introduced a new
concept known as heliocentrism, which suggested that the center of the
solar system was not the Earth but actually the Sun. This idea was rejected
at first by the public. It appalled many since their religious belief had taught
them that earth was created first before all other things. Copernicus was
even persecuted as a heretic because his teachings were against what was
widely accepted by religion.
After some time, astronomers realized that the Copernican model
simplified the orbits of planets. It also answered issued that could not be
explained using the geocentric model. Other works that supported this
model started to emerge well. It was eventually accepted by the people in a
period which was called the birth of modern astronomy. This era began
what was known as the scientific revolution which resulted in the
transformation of society’s thoughts and beliefs.
Although heliocentric theories had been considered by philosophers
as early as Philolaus in the 5th century BCE, and while there had been earlier
discussions of the possibility of Earth’s motion, Copernicus was the first to
propound a comprehensive heliocentric theory equal in scope and
predictive capability to Ptolemy’s geocentric system.
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The geocentric model of Ptolemy

He proposed that Earth was in the center of the Universe,

the planets and Sun revolved around it, and the stars were
all at a modest distance from the center.

The heliocentric model of Copernicus

The center of the solar system was not the

Earth but actually the Sun.
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Darwinian Revolution
The Darwinian revolution was considered to be one of the most
controversial intellectual revolutions of its time. In 1859, Charles Darwin, an
English naturalist, biologist, and geologist, published his book, On the Origin
of Species. In this book, Darwin introduced the theory of evolution, which
posited that populations pass through a process of natural selection in which
only the fittest would survive. He stated that organisms have the ability to
adapt to their environment and would gradually change into something that
would be more competitive to survive, a process known as evolution.
However, this theory became very controversial as people perceived it to be
contradictory to the church’s teachings that the source of life is a powerful
creator. The theory emerged at a time when most of the population believed
and accepted the biblical version of the Earth’s creation. Because of this
conflict, the people were divided-some believed that the theory explained
the origin
of life, but the religious and the faithful strongly refuted it. It even sparked a
massive debate between science and religion. It was only after some time
that map: came to understand that Darwin’s theory of evolution was not in
fact against the teachings of the church and both can coexist.
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Freudian Revolution

In the past, the field of

psychology was classified under
Philosophy. Psychology was
considered more of an art rather
than a science. In late 19th century,
Sigmund Freud was able to change
people’s perception of psychology
with his revolutionary theory of
psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis is the study

that explains human behavior. In this
theory, Freud explained that there
are many conscious and
unconscious factors that influence
behavior and emotions. He also
argued that personality is a product
of three conflicting elements: Id, Ego
and Superego.

Science hardliners brushed

off the legitimacy of psychoanalysis
as a science since its concepts were
more philosophical and
supernatural. Many believed that
Freud’s theory had no scientific
basis as no empirical or
experimental data could support it.

Despite criticisms, Freud still continued to work on refining his theory and
in fact tried to explain how psychoanalysis can be a clinical method in treating some
mental disorders.

Soon enough, people were able to understand the concepts of

psychoanalysis, which eventually resulted in classifying psychology as a science.
These three revolutionizing theories are just some of the many scientific
ideas that transformed and molded societies and corrected some misconceptions
in beliefs and science.

The changes they brought to the perspectives and perceptions of the

scientific community and the public are evidence of science and technology’s link
to humanity. Through scientific research and experimentations, people will continue
to deepen their understanding of the world and universe.
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Name: ______________________________Month: ________ Date of Submission: _________
Course: _____________________________ Year: __________Score: ___________________
Mobile Number: _______________________Subject: ________ Instructor: ________________
Home Address: _______________________________________________________________
G-mail Address: _________________________________ Facebook Account: _____________

QUESTION FOR REFLECTION

Instruction: Answer the following questions briefly.

1.) Why do you think were most intellectual ideas controversial?

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2.) Why did the people accept these new discoveries despite being
contradictory to what was widely accepted at that time?

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3.) How do intellectual revolutions transform societies?

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RUBRICS FOR ESSAY

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REFERENCES

Retrieved from the following websites:

https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/h/Heliocentrism.htm
(May 20,2020)
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/geocentrism-seriously
(May 20,2020)
https://physics.info/geocentrism/ (May 20,2020)
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html (July 20, 2020)
https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychoanalysis.html (July 20, 2020)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-evolution-of-charles-
darwin-110234034/ (July 20, 2020)