Revolution: The Role Of Women In The Scientific Revolution

In the book “ The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction”, Lawrence Principe discusses the general occurring events of the scientific revolution, and overviews various in-depth details in relation to those events. People at the time highly focused on the meanings and causes of their surrounds, as their motive was to “control, improve and exploit” (Principe 2) the world. In his work, Principe has successfully supported the notion that the Scientific Revolution stood as a period in time where one's innovation would drive improvements towards change and continuity of future innovations, along with changes of tradition. His statement is strongly backed by his detailed and particular order of events throughout the book. Nevertheless, certain details that lead beyond the necessary background are found, as they do not appertain to the general line of the book, but rather for background knowledge.

And then towards the middle of the 1600, when the Scientific Revolution was beginning, women slowly began to work with the fields of math and science. Even though they

Another important figure in the Scientific Revolution was Galileo Galilei. He was an Italian born professor of mathematics who had a great interest in the workings of the universe. Galileo served as a professor at the University of Padua, and it was during this time that he began to question the accuracy of the Churches representation of the world. Galileo’s approach towards knowledge was much different then the afore mentioned Copernicus. Where as Copernicus presented his finding to the mercy of the church, Galileo wrote his conclusions and left the Roman Catholic Church interpret them as they chose. The very nature of his findings pitted him as an opponent of the church.

The Scientific Revolution was when modern science was essentially established, which came along with the major scientific discoveries took place at the time. Some major scientists that contributed to this major era include Nicholas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton. The scientific revolution took place following the Renaissance, from the mid-1500’s until about 1700. This revolution took place throughout Europe. This occurred because, following the Renaissance and the reformation, people became very curious and wanted to understand how the Earth worked. It was almost as if, being that this occurred after the reformation, that they wanted to either confirm or refute the church’s claims. The significance of the scientific revolution was one of great proportions, it changed mankind’s understanding the importance of science, and of how the Earth and solar system function.

One woman that made a major contribution to the field of science was Mae C. Jemison. Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama on October 17th, 1956. Her parents were just average people, her father was a carpenter and her mother an elementary school

Scientists realized that they could collaborate to learn more about science. They met in salons and libraries to discuss science and philosophy. Henry Oldenbury, the Secretary of the English Royal Society, when writing a letter to Johannes Hevelius, another scientist, says that Friendship among learned men is a great aid to the investigation and elucidation of the truth.....Philosophy would then be raised to its greatest heights” (Document 6). Henry was part of the Royal Society which was supposed to expand the natural knowledge of England. So, he was very interested in these scientific communities because he knew that it would increase his knowledge exponentially. Even though many liked these scientific communities, many women didn’t like how they weren’t included, not only communities, but also academies. Margaret Cavendish, an English natural philosopher said in her book, Observations on Experimental Philosphy, “I might sset up my own school of natural philosophy. But I, being a woman, do fear they would soon cast me out of their schools.... Nay, could it be done so handsomely, they would turn all from females into males, so great is grown the self-conceit of the masculine and the disgregard of the female sex” (Document 9). Cavendish thinks that she has a lot to say about philosophy, but, when she realizes that no one will listen to her and she can’t collaborate to many others because she is

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were a period of many changes in world of sciences. Usually the philosophes and researchers of the sciences were either supported or reprimanded by many aspects of life in these centuries. The work of scientists was affected by governments promoting, but also preventing, research of the sciences, religious bodies promoting or condemning the outcomes of experiments and theories and even merging outcomes to religious ideas, and also new relationships between scientists across Europe, but also with a neglect of women.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Scientific Revolution, which was the development of new sciences and technology, and the Age of Enlightenment, which was the so called “age of reason”, had sparked women’s

While Renaissance academics embraced the innovations of humanity to reason the purpose of life, seventeenth century scientists progressed beyond the abstraction of philosophy towards the concrete origins of humanity. With the potential to derive the foundation of the human experience, Europe embarked on a successive intellectual revolution, known colloquially as the Scientific Revolution. As scientists charted a new reality grounded in empirical evidence, the universally accepted explanations of biology, astronomy, and physics of Ancient Greece were systematically disproven. Contrary to previous academic rebirths, women were allowed to partake in exploration in a limited capacity. While the Scientific Revolution was characterized

The Scientific Revolution was at its height during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with many supporters and critics of the works of scientists. It was the transition from the medieval, philosophical and religious perspective to a secular and rational perspective. One of the biggest debates that defined the Scientific Revolution was the debate over whether the universe was geocentric (with the earth at the center of the universe), or heliocentric (with the earth revolving around the sun). The works of these scientists was influenced by political leaders for their desire in power, the clash of ideas between religious leaders and institutions, and differentiation towards female scientists and unorganization in research. In all, each of these three parts of society contributed to the Scientific Revolution in very important ways.

Women were blocked from nearly any form of scientific experiment or inquiry. Margaret Cavendish, an English natural philosopher and the first woman to visit a meeting of the Royal Society, illustrates the “disregard of the female sex” in sciences (Doc. 9). Unsurprisingly, men continued to oppress women and block any and all paths to gaining social standing. Science, like almost all other domains, continued to be controlled by

The century has seen such remarkable characters as Dorothea Dix, who helped women in jails, Margaret Fuller, who advocated that women could pursue any career they want and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in the US.

Berkin’s bias is to argue that women’s roles during the Revolution shouldn’t be ignored but praised instead. They should be praised for their persistence and dedication. One Hessian officer’s wife, Baroness von Riedesel, followed her husband all the way to America from Germany just to support him. She was also not afraid to scold him when he was spending more time with his mistress than focusing on the well-being of his soldiers. Martha Washington believed it was her duty to stand by her husband in the midst of war even if she’d rather be home. She became a celebrity in the Continental Army camps because of how motivational she was. No one know that on the inside, she was just one frightened and homesick woman.

She was dismissed from history because men (society, really) couldn't tolerate the idea of a woman being a successful scientist. Why? Because that was how society was back then (and kind of is now). Reluctant to change and women.

One of the most prolific eras in our world’s history is the Scientific Revolution. During this time men began to think outside the realm of possibility and delved themselves deep into the exciting unknown world of science. The innovative minds of these people churned out inventions like gunpowder and the printing press, as well as, inventive new ways of thinking like the scientific method. Aside from the inventors and innovators, there were also the publicists and writers without whom no one would know or understand the new ideas of the time. One such person was Margaret Cavendish who was born and raised in England. She received the same education that a lady during her time did. However, due to her husband, Sir Charles Cavendish, she was exposed to the world of science. The subject intrigued her so much that she ended up publishing her own theory on atoms. Though her atomic theory contains many scientific Renaissance ideals, it is still seen as a major contribution of thought during the Scientific Revolution.