Intellectual Revolution That Defined Society

Lesson 2: Intellectual Revolutions That Defined Society
Scientific Revolution
How can science be defined?
1. Science as an idea. It includes ideas, theories, and all available

systematic explanations and observations about the natural and
physical world.
2. Science as an intellectual activity. It encompasses a systematic and
practical study of the natural and physical world. This process of study
involves systematic observation and experimentation.
3. Science as a body of knowledge. It is a subject or a discipline, a
field of study, or a body of knowledge that deals with the process of
learning about the natural and physical world.
4. Science as a personal and social activity. This explains that science
is both knowledge and activities done by human beings to develop
better understanding of the world around them. It is a means to
improve life and to survive in life. It is interwoven with people’s lives.
The idea of science revolution claimed to have started in the early
16th century up to the 18th century in Europe.
Scientific Revolution was the period of enlightenment when the

developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy,
biology and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.
It explained the mergence or birth of modern science as a result of
these developments from the disciplines mentioned.
Influences to Scientific Revolution

Scientific revolution is very significant in the development of human
beings, transformation of the society, and in the formulation of
scientific ideas.
Some Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas

Intellectual Revolution is the time period when advancements of
Science & Technology changed people’s perceptions and beliefs.
Scientists in all periods of time are driven by their curiosity, critical

thinking and creativity to explore the physical and natural world. Their
love for science is driven by their deep passion to know and to
discover.
The development during the Intellectual Revolution showed how

society was transformed by S & T.
Intellectual Revolutions:
1. Freudian Revolution (Sigmund Freud)

2. Copernican Revolution (Nicolaus Copernicus)
3. Darwinian Revolution (Charles Darwin)
Freudian Revolution (Sigmund Freud)
This theory has started to revolutionize Psychiatry with Sigmund
Freud. This includes the "Freudian Theory of Personality" that involves
the human development contributes to his/her personality and also his
"psychoanalysis" that is the process for achieving proper functioning if
a human does not complete his/her developmental stage.
The method of psychoanalysis is a scientific way to study the human

mind and neurotic illness. His method was unorthodox – focusing on
human sexuality and evil nature of man.
Copernican Revolution (Nicolaus Copernicus)
This caused the paradigm shift of how the earth and sun were placed
in the heavens/universe. It is the idea that rejected Ptolemaic model
(earth is the center of the solar system) and proved the heliocentric
model (Sun is the center of the solar system having the earth
revolving around it.) This idea and model of the universe was
essentially completed in 1510.
Darwinian Revolution (Charles Darwin)

Charles Darwin is famous for his theory of evolution. He changed our
concept of the world’s creation and evolution.
This has brought a great impact on how people approach Biology

forever. This revolution provided a different than the "theory of
Creation". The Darwinian revolution started when Charles Darwin
published his book "The Origin of Species" in 1589 that emphasizes
that humans are the result of an evolution.
His book presented evidence on how species evolved over time and
presented traits and adaptation that differentiate species.
Cradles of Early Science
esoamerica includes the entire area of Central
America from Southern
Mexico up to the border of South America.
There is no doubt that the
Mesoamerican region is rich in culture and
knowledge prior to the arrival of its Europeancolonizers.

Mayan Civilization is one of the famous civilizations that lasted for
approximately 2,000 years.
Contributions
roads paved with stones
stone buildings that surmounted earthquakes and other disasters
irrigation system and technique for storing water for their crops to
grow in all types of land
calendar with 12 months to mark their religious festivals and prepare
them for planting season
the first suspension bridge
Quipo, a system of knotted ropes to keep records that only experts
can interpret
Inca textiles since cloth was one of the specially prized artistic
achievements rise
Aztec civilization has also made substantial contributions to science
and technology and to the society as a whole.
Contributions
1. Mandatory Education. The Aztec put value on education; that is

why their children are mandated to get education regardless of their
social class, gender, or age. It is an early form of universal or inclusive
education.
2. Chocolates. The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolate during their
time. In the Mayan culture, they use it as currency. The Aztec valued
the cacao beans highly and made it as part of their tribute to their
gods.
3. Antispasmodic medication. They used a type of antispasmodic
medication that could prevent muscle spasms and relax muscles,
which could help during surgery.
4. Chinampa. It is a form as Aztec technology for agricultural farming
in which the land was divided into rectangular areas and surrounded
by canal.
5. Aztec calendar. This enabled them to plan their activities, rituals,
and planting season.
6. Invention of the canoe. A light narrow boat used for traveling in
water system.
Development of Science in Asia
Asia is the biggest continent in the world and the home of many
ancient civilizations. It is a host to many cultural, economic, scientific,
and political activities of all ages. In the field of science, technology,
and mathematics, great civilizations have stood out in India, China,
and the Middle East civilizations. These civilizations were
incomparable in terms of their contributions to the development of
knowledge during their time.
India is a huge peninsula surrounded by vast bodies of water and

fortified by huge mountains in its northern borders. The Indians
creatively developed various ideas and technologies useful in their
everyday lives.
Contributions
1. They are known for manufacturing iron and in metallurgical works.
Their iron steel is considered to be the best and held with high regard
in the whole of Roman Empire.
2. India is famous in medicine. Ayurveda , a system of traditional
medicine that originated in ancient India before 2500 BC, is still
practiced as a form of alternative medicine.
3. Ancient India is also notable in the field of astronomy. They
developed theories and the configuration of the universe, the spherical
self -supporting Earth and the year of 360 days with 12 equal parts of
30 days each.
4. Ancient India is also known for their mathematics. The earliest
traces of mathematical knowledge in the Indian subcontinent
appeared in the Indus Valley Civilization. The people of this
civilization, tried to standardized measurement of length to a high
degree of accuracy and designed a ruler, the Mohenjo-Daro ruler.
5. Indian astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata, in his Aryabhatiya
introduced a number of trigonometric functions, tables and techniques
as well as algorithms of algebra.
China is one of the ancient civilizations with substantial contributions
in many areas of life like medicine, astronomy, science, mathematics,
arts, philosophy, and music, among others. Chinese civilizations have
greatly influenced many of its neighboring countries like Korea, Japan,
Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and other
countries that belong to the old Silk Road.
Contributions
1. Chinese are known for traditional medicines, a product of centuries
of experiences and discovery of the Chinese people. They discovered
various medical properties and uses of different plants and animals to
cure human illness. An example is the practice of acupuncture.
2. In terms of technology, Chinese are known to develop many tools.
Among the famous discoveries and inventions of the Chinese
civilization were compass, paper making, gunpowder, and printing
tools that became known in the West only by the end of the Middle
Ages. They also invented other tools like iron plough, wheelbarrow
and propeller, among others. They also developed a design of
different models of bridges, invented the first seismological detector,
and developed a dry dock facility.
3. Chinese also made significant records and supernovas, lunar and
solar eclipses, and comets, which were carefully recorded and
preserved to better understand the heavenly bodies and their effects
on our world.
4. Chinese are also known in seismology. This made them more
prepared in times of natural calamities.
Middle East Countries are dominantly occupied by Muslims. With the
spread of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries, a period of Muslim
scholarship or what is called the Golden Age of Islam lasted until the
13th century. The common language of Arabic, access to Greek texts
from the Byzantine Empire, and their proximity to India were
contributory to intellectualization of the Muslims and provided their
scholars knowledge to create innovations and develop new ideas. But
contrary to the Greeks, Muslim scientists placed greater value on
science experiments rather than plain-thought experiments. This led to
the development of the scientific method in the Muslim world and
made significant improvements by using experiments to distinguish
between competing scientific theories set within a generally empirical
orientation.
Contributions
1. Ibn al-Haytham is regarded as the Father of Optics, especially for
his empirical proof of the intromission theory of light.
2. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi gave his name to concept the
algorithm while the term algebra is derived from al-jabr¸the beginning
of the title of one of his publications. What is now known as the Arabic
Numeral System originally came from India but Muslim
mathematicians did make several refinements to the number system,
such as the introduction of decimal point notation.
3. Jabir ibn Hayyan – considered to be the Father of Chemistry.
4. Ibn Sina – pioneered the science of experimental medicine and was
the first physician to conduct clinical trials. His most notable works in
medicine, the Book of Healing and the Canon of Medicine, were used
as standard medicinal texts in both the Muslim world and in Europe
during the 17th century. Among his many contributions are the
discovery of the contagious nature of infectious disease and the
introduction of clinical pharmacology.
Development of Science in Africa
Africa is blessed with natural and mineral resources. Science also

emerged in this part of the planet long before the Europeans colonized
it. The history of science and mathematics show that similar to other
ancient civilizations, the early civilizations in Africa are knowledge
procedures too.
Contributions
1. The Ancient Egyptian civilization has contributed immensely and

made significant advances in the fields of astronomy, mathematics,
and medicine. For example, the development of geometry was a
product of necessity to preserve the layout and ownership of
farmlands of the Egyptians living along the Nile River.
2. Egypt was known to be the center of alchemy, which is known as
the medieval forerunner of chemistry. They tried to study human
anatomy and pharmacology, and applied important components such
as examination, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for the treatment
of the diseases. These components displayed strong parallels to the
basic empirical method of studying science.
3. Astronomy was also famous in African region. for instance,
documents show that Africans used three types of calendars: lunar,
solar and stellar or combination of the three.
4. Metallurgy was also known in the African regions during the ancient
times. They invented metal tools used in their homes, in agriculture,
and in building their magnificent architectures.
5. Mathematics was also known to be prominent in the life of early
people in the African continent. The Lebomo Bone from the mountains
between Swaziland and South Africa, which may have been a tool for
multiplication, division, and simple mathematical calculation or a
six-month lunar calendar, is considered to be the oldest known
mathematical artifact dated from 35, 000 BCE.
References:
Serafica, J. et.al. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. Rex

Printing Company, Inc., First Edition, 2018.
Serafica, J. et al (2018). Science, Technology and Society. First
Edition

Intellectual Revolution That Defined Society

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Lesson 2: Intellectual Revolutions That Defined Society

1. Science as an idea. It includes ideas, theories, and all available

Scientific Revolution was the period of enlightenment when the

Influences to Scientific Revolution

Some Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas

Scientists in all periods of time are driven by their curiosity, critical

The development during the Intellectual Revolution showed how

1. Freudian Revolution (Sigmund Freud)

The method of psychoanalysis is a scientific way to study the human

Darwinian Revolution (Charles Darwin)

This has brought a great impact on how people approach Biology

Cradles of Early Science

esoamerica includes the entire area of Central

America from Southern

Mexico up to the border of South America.

There is no doubt that the

Mesoamerican region is rich in culture and

knowledge prior to the arrival of its Europeancolonizers.

1. Mandatory Education. The Aztec put value on education; that is

India is a huge peninsula surrounded by vast bodies of water and

Africa is blessed with natural and mineral resources. Science also

1. The Ancient Egyptian civilization has contributed immensely and

Serafica, J. et.al. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. Rex

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