Mater Dei College

Tubigon, Bohol

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS AND SOCIETY

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1. Explain how the Intellectual Revolution changed the way how humans see the world.

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 peek at the outer space, but more importantly, it also intrigued them to
know what was actually out there.
Many Greek philosophers and intellectuals wrote about planets in an attempt to explain the
movements of heavenly bodies and their effects on the world as they knew it. Many of these
philosophers agreed that planets moved around in circular motion, and that these movements
created days and nights, among others. A famous philosopher and astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy,
stated that the planets, as well as the sun and the moon, moved in a circular motion around the Earth.
The sun and moon’s revolutions explained the existence of days and nights. He believed that the Earth
was at the center- a concept known as 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, Nicolas Copernicus, a Polish mathematician and astronomer, challenged
the Ptolemaic model. He introduced a new concept known 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 the Earth was created
first before all other things. Copernicus was even persecuted as a heretic because his teachers were
against what was widely accepted by religion. After sometime, astronomers realized that the
Copernican model simplified the orbits for planets. It also answered issues that could not be
explained using the geocentric model. Other works that supported this model started to emerge as
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.
DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
The Darwinian revolution was considered to be one of the most controversial intellectual
revolution 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 organism 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
tot eh 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 times that people came to understand that Darwin’s
theory of evolution was not in fact against the teachings of the church and both can coexist.
FREUDIAN REVOLUTION
In the past, the field psychology was always classified under philosophy. Psychology was
considered more of an art rather than a science. In the 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 his theory, Freud explained that
there are many conscious and unconscious factors that can 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 idea that
transformed and molded societies and beliefs. 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 the universe.