The so-called Scientific revolution, which is usually limited to the 16th and 17th centuries, could be defined as a movement within which the birth of modern science occurs. Its epicenter was located in Europe and later spread to the entire world. This period witnessed the emergence of a new approach to acquiring knowledge, the so-called scientific method. The key result of this “revolution” was that science replaced philosophy as the primary method to acquire new knowledge. Spain made significant contributions to the Scientific Revolution.
This period witnessed the emergence of a new approach to knowledge acquisition, the so-called scientific method.
Certain sectors have associated an alleged lack of scientific and technological advances in Spain with the Counter Reformation. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to create a connection between the absence of a Protestant Reformation in Spain and a stagnation in knowledge. The case of Italy completely dismantles this argument: the cradle of the Scientific Revolution did not experience any Protestant reform.
New tools and institutions
The emergence of new technologies enabled great scientific advances. He telescope, an optical instrument that allowed the identification and study of distant objects that had never been observed before, was a key tool in these years. Although the invention of it has traditionally been attributed to the Dutch lens manufacturer Hans Lippershey In 1608, studies by the British Nick John Pelling indicate that the authorship would correspond to the Girona native. Juan Roget. The mill would have been developed in 1590.
On the other hand, thanks to the creation of dedicated institutions, scientists were able to share their knowledge. An example is the Spanish Royal Mathematica Academy, the world’s first scientific institution. This was founded in 1582, many years before the famous English Royal Society (1662) or the Académie des Sciences of France (1666).
The influence of the New World
It is certainly paradoxical that it is uncritically accepted that the countries of the Iberian Peninsula, the most technically developed in the 15th and 16th centuries, were excluded from the scientific advances that were taking place. Many of these were nourished by the new knowledge coming from the voyages across the Atlantic and the discovery of the The new World. In fact, Spanish exploration of new territories fostered the development of a key element of modern epistemological practices: empirical observation. The numerous stories and descriptions from the New World led to the establishment of an empirical tradition that would have a decisive role in the Scientific revolution.
Thus, one of the great Spanish contributions to the development of science in the 16th centuries and to come was the institutionalization of empirical practices by the Royal and Supreme Council of the Indies. To this we would have to add the books that would later be written about these practices, texts that would reach England.
Francis Bacon, whom the Anglo-Saxon world considers the father of empiricism, would later continue the Spanish tradition by promoting empirical practices. In fact, his ideas would constitute the spirit of the future Royal Society. Therefore, the Spanish contribution to the development of science It consisted of the institutionalization of empirical practices rather than theoretical contributions. Empiricism has had a remarkable Hispanic imprint.
Astronomy and navigation
Although there is no defined date that marks the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, 1543 is usually taken as its starting point. In that year, the Polish-Prussian mathematician, astronomer and Catholic canon Nicolaus Copernicus published his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (About the revolutions of the celestial orbs) in which he presented his heliocentric theory of the solar system that challenged the predominant geocentric view. This change in the conception of the cosmos constituted one of the most important events in the history of science.
The heliocentric theory would not take long to reach Spain, probably due to the strong astronomical tradition that had made it possible. the great navigations of the 15th century. The increase in knowledge in the field of astronomy would produce an improvement in navigation techniques. In this way, the Spanish Fray Diego de Zúñiga (1536 – c. 1598) was one of the first Europeans to support and propagate Copernican theories. Additionally, the Valencian astronomer and mathematician Jeronimo Muñoz (1520-1592) made astronomical observations that supported the heliocentric theory.
Illustration made by Jerónimo Muñoz
Thus, in his work of 1572 New comet book we find a profound criticism of Aristotelian physics. His analysis, which was based on empirical observations and mathematical demonstrations, attacked the central foundation of Aristotelian cosmology: that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars revolved around it. Unfortunately, the Spaniard’s works had a very limited diffusion. Indeed, Spain contributed prominently to the Scientific Revolution.
