DBQ Exam Practice

Scientists in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were greatly affected by political, religious, and social factors. Most scientists wanted to discover new things about the Earth, the solar system, and humans but they did not want to upset a monarch, a religious leader, or any member of the higher class. It came to the point where scientists had to decide whether their scientific beliefs were worth risking their reputation. Certain religions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, such as Catholicism, were against new scientific discoveries of the time like heliocentrism; while Calvinistic monks and followers, such as John Calvin; monarchies in this time period, such as Louis XIV; and philosophers, such as Thomas Hobbes, encouraged and promoted further scientific discovery. 

Scientists had to make an ultimate decision between religion or scientific discovery. The Catholic Church's view supported geocentricism not heliocentricism. Scientist Nicholas Copernicus, the man who came up with the idea of heliocentricism, said in his book dedicated to Pope Paul III that he did fear criticism of the pope even though he had created an idea that went against that of the Church's. Despite being confident in his scientific discovery, he still wanted the pope to believe in his new idea (doc. 1). Giovanni Ciampoli, an Italian monk, told Galileo, an astronomer, in a letter that he needed to leave alone subjects such as heliocentricism and geocentricism because it was religious leaders' places to decide what was the truth and what was not (doc 3). John Calvin took the opposite view of the Catholic Church and said that astronomers searching for new answers was a positive thing. He said it only further showed the "admirable wisdom of God," (doc 2). The two religions showed very opposing views of how the religion and science should interact.

Most monarchs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were in favor of furthering scientific discovery. Jean Baptiste Colbert, a finance minister under Louis XIV, stated that to get ahead in the race for arms France would being opening more academies for learning the arts and sciences (doc. 11). Monarchs and their workers of the time, positively affected the age of scientific discovery. Although monarchs and nation's leaders had different reasons for wanting new answers in science, they helped to encourage the scientists to keep working. A drawing in 1671 showcased Louis XIV visiting the French Royal Academy (doc. 10). This picture showed that French monarchs took scientific discovery very seriously. A monarch such as Louis XIV would not waste his time at somewhere that he thought would not yield results. Other members of high society  demonstrated that science was in the best interest of a nation. Henry Oldenbury, Secretary of English Royal Society, said that truth was spread through friendship (doc. 6). He was implying that if monarchs and leaders are kind and generous to the scientists of their country then the scientists will be more likely to share their new discoveries with them.

Philosophers of this time period often wrote about the controversy between what is right and wrong, especially in the area of science. Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan that men of mathematics and science did not care about what leaders wanted the truth to be. They cared about the actual truth, which would be suppressed if it went against leaders' beliefs (doc. 7). This was a major conflict for scientists of the time. Most scientists, such as Galileo, wanted to produce the truth but often if they did then they would be tormented by religious leaders. Some scientists like Galileo chose to deal with the consequences of publishing the truth while others never published the truth they found for fear of a bad reputation. Margaret Cavendish, a natural philosopher, was in support of science and said that she would open a school of science and learning if she was a man (doc. 9). Marin Mersenne, a French philosopher, agreed with the views of Galileo and tried to convince religious leaders to see the truth (doc. 5). Most philosophers had views like these three. They were in favor of science and did everything in their power to keep the truth alive.