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Science Before the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment:

Before the Scientific Revolution, philosophers used rationalism and deductive reasoning to obtain further knowledge about science. Philosophers, such as Thomas Aquinas, would form propositions and by use of definitions, objectives, and contraries, would obtain "knowledge." The propositions formed by these philosophers, called "scholastics," were meant to appease the differences between science and the church. This is because scientists who went against the church in the Middle Ages and Renaissance were often tried and executed for heresy.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance hindered science significantly. To begin with, scholasticism was not an effective method of expanding knowledge. Finding truth in propositions, such as "That the Existence of God is True," is not an effective means to obtaining knowledge because such propositions suggest what ought to be true, rather than what is actually is true. Freud obtained knowledge about repression and Einstein gained sight into relativity by seeking new knowledge, rather than by seeking truth in suggested and generally accepted knowledge.

Additionally, the Middle Ages and Renaissance hindered science significantly denying truth in science that countered the church or traditional thought. Giardiano Bruno, after suggesting that there are multiple worlds in the universe, was tried and executed by order of the papal Inquisition in 1600. Leonardo da Vinci was a significant figure in the Italian Renaissance. He explained the circulation of blood through the body by performing dissections on corpses. He initialized suggestions that the Earth revolved around the Sun and suggested rough designs for submarines and airplanes. However, Leonardo da Vinci never published his scientific advances because his advances would have been dismissed as heresy.

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the church and state were undivided, and therefore the monarchical governments in Europe at the time did not promote the advancement of science. However, while the obstinacy of monarchy and the Catholic church hindered science at the time, it eventually promoted science in the seventeenth century.

The Protestant Reformation led to a continent-wide dispute between Catholicism and Protestantism. This dispute ultimately led to the Thirty Years War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648. This battle sparked fears among the people of Europe, including kings and generals. The growth of superstition occurred during this time period, as wealthy Europeans began to hire astrologists to discover the fate that the future held. The popularity of astrologists during this time period allowed for changes in the views of astronomy to occur. These changes in astronomy laid the foundation for the Scientific Revolution to occur.

It is also significant to mention that the discovery of the New World further promoted the advancement of science. As new territories were discovered during this time period, new species of plants and animals were also discovered. This sparked an interest that led to the advancement of the natural scientists. Also, the printing press significantly promoted the spread of science. With the invention of the printing press, it was no longer impossible to hear about the latest scientific discoveries of England in Italy.