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Period: Feb 19, 1493 to May 24, 1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
He was a Polish astronomer who proposed the redesign of the Solar System to a heliocentric term. He also believed the Earth is a planet and that the Earth turns on an axis. Copernicus ordered the planets and helped to resolve the debate of the placement of Mercury and Venus. He calculated the number of days in the orbit of many planets too. All of these became the ground for a new set of scientific advancements about the revolutions of the solar system. -
Period: Nov 11, 1493 to Sep 24, 1541
Paracelsus
He was German and Swiss and used chemistry for medicinal purposes. He used metallurgy and chemistry which was later expanded into many modern medicinal practices. He refuted the unfounded practices of slaves, bleeding, and infusions. His use of empirical science in medicine helped to pave the way for further experiments, and he was able to treat syphilis and plague further than previously. -
Period: 1514 to 1564
Andreas Vesalius
He was a native of what is now Belgium but traveled all over Europe, including Paris and Italy. He learned to dissect and study both animals and humans and used this to contradict previous theories on anatomy and restructure them with empirical studies. He also updated these to be specified to the human body, which was previously unstudied. The publication of these allowed for the expansion of medicinal studies in the future based on knowledge of human somatic functions. -
Period: Dec 14, 1546 to
Tycho Brahe
He was a Danish astrological engineer who worked on instruments for measurement. His developments would give the ability to measure stars and predict movements more accurately. He also reported the discovery of a new star via a supernova. He built observatories and collected a lot of data. Brahe also came to a modified model of the solar system in which around the earth, the planets rotate around the sun . He mentored Kepler and laid the foundation for scientific proof of future theories. -
Period: Jan 22, 1561 to
Francis Bacon
He is an English chancellor and was famous for his philosophy and his studies into the constitution and history. His interpretations of the balance of power between the Crown and Parliament delineated in the constitution worked to manage the judicial system under James' rule. His interpretation of English laws after his judicial career allowed for later adjustment and amending of them to better fit the people. -
Period: Feb 15, 1564 to
Galileo Galilei
He was an Italian scientist who developed a lot of the basis of physics by using a mathematics to plot motions. Additionally, his development of an advanced telescope helped to collect data proving Copernican heliocentric theories. His use of empirical evidence paved the way for future proof of methods via a 'scientific method' using data. -
Period: Oct 27, 1571 to
Johannes Kepler
He was a German astronomer who planned the laws of planetary motion, expanding upon previous theories of heliocentric planetary systems. He also expanded upon current astrological instruments, studying and expanding upon light in the telescope and optics in general. His 3 laws of planetary motion were able to correct estimations of orbits and his optical theories were able to explain why eyeglasses corrected vision. He also published a textbook guide that would help Copernican theory later. -
Period: Apr 1, 1578 to
William Harvey
He was an English physician. He was the first to propose that blood circulated the human body. His study of the system also proposed the use of heart as a pump circulating the blood rather than the body producing or consuming blood. His focus on the body allowed for distance from a more typical 'mechanical' model of the body and a focus on the life force and health of the body in future studies expanding on and corroborating his findings. -
Period: to
Rene Descartes
He was a French scientist who promoted moving past scholastic Aristotelian. His development of science as being based on data led to him developing a new philosophy by which to prove theories. His dismissal of knowledge that was unfounded and received from authorities led to a system of doubting that without proof that continues on through today. He also studied medical advancements and physics and frequently promoted using French over Latin to promote later learning by others. -
Period: to
Robert Boyle
He was Anglo-Irish and worked in many areas across fields. His scientific contributions include work with others about air pressure, vacuums, combustion, sound, nature's 'mechanism', atomism (with indivisible particles), alchemy, and chemical analysis. He also wrote about Christianity's involvement in the Scientific Revolution and against secularism. His work was later built upon by those in aviation and climatology as his law of air pressure was related. -
Period: to
John Locke
He was and English philosopher who inspired and helped form political liberalism and the enlightenment. He believed that all knowledge was learned by experience, which later influenced his works and political theory of the time. His developments in political theories advocating tolerance and rulers doing what is for the public good. His visions of political society with individualism were used to justify revolutions and in the framework of the declaration of independence later. -
Period: to
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
He was a Dutch microscopist. His use of the microscope to study new life forms, such as bacteria and protozoa helped develop studies of these creatures and their effect on the human body. His expansion on the microscope and use of a single high-power lense helped to ease access to observations and data. He also helped corroborate anatomical studies such as the existence of sperm cells, parthenogenesis, and blood cells. Anton also studied insects and other small animals and their procreation. -
Period: to
Isaac Newton
He was an English scientist who culminated the scientific revolution and his works in optics paved the way for the study of colors. In addition, his expansion on the three laws of motion led to the law of universal gravity. He also believed in particle theory development. His mathematical developments of binomial theorem paved the way for modern calculus. -
Period: to
Pierre Bayle
He was a French philosopher who questioned Christian tradition. He pushed for tolerance, even of atheists, and examined historical lenses through an objective, or even anti-Christian, view point. He expanded upon the promotion of scientific reasoning leading to universal skepticism by excepting man's nature as encouraging blind faith. This was later held and built upon by many scientists who would take a skeptical view but ultimately trust for lack of another option. -
Period: to
David Hume
He was a Scottish scholar of the humanities. He pushed philosophy as a field that was the 'science of human nature'. He helped push interest of space, time, knowledge, and cause-effect relationships. He also was one of the first to study human emotions and behavior in correlation with possible consequences. His treatise on knowledge and how humans form impressions and inference events, something that would later expand into modern fields such as psychology and the like. -
Period: to
Catharine Macaulay
She was a British historian and political writer. She wrote a modern history (at the time) of English history from the end of the Stuart line through the Brunswick Line. Her works on popular sovereignty were used to justify revolutions later. Both of these were pioneers as widely accepted written works by a woman. -
Period: to
Mary Wollstonecraft
She was an English writer and feminist. She worked for social equality between genders and Mary carried on this tradition, advocating for education for women, and the incorporation of women into society. She also encouraged women to work and get vocational training. Her work was later expanded upon by first wave feminists, and was used to model some of the first practical educational opportunities for women leading to higher level job and work skills.