DBQ Exam practice

Analyze how political religious and social factors affected the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The sciences in 16th and 17th century Europe were not only the source of great discoveries but often political tools for rulers like Louis XIV. At this time in history Europe was either dominated by the influence of the Pope and the Church or by a Prince in one of the numerous principalities and empires however the catholic principalities also deferred to the Vatican. Some scientists like Copernicus had papal support and or others like Marin Mersenne were sponsored by the wealthy nobility. This support helped some discoveries to flourish and help the cause of mankind while in other cases it caused important ideas to be suppressed. Although political and religious support funded scientists and philosophers in the 16th and 17th it actually hindered the development of modern ideas and theories among scientists.

Many scientists were supported by the Vatican; however, because of this many scientists were in fact hindered in their ability to research and present their findings among their peers. If your findings went against the scripture you could be tried for heresy. A prime example of this was the astronomer Galileo who was persecuted for his findings. The church wanted him to be moderate and to defer to their judgment on the accuracy of his findings. Giovani Campioli and Italian monk wrote this to Galileo, “It is indispensable therefore…to defer to the authority of those who have jurisdiction over the human intellect in matters of the interpretation of scripture.” Galileo released his findings anyway and was persecuted for them. John Calvin the father of the protestant religion Calvinism wrote, “This study should not be prohibited nor this science condemned because some frantic persons boldly reject whatever is unknown to them.” Calvin is arguing in favor of a free form of science that was not mediated over by religious figures in case it went against the biblical views on philosophy. However at this time in history this type of system was no in place. Marin Mersenne was hired by a noble patron to do research in his name. In document 5 we see a letter from Marin to her patron explaining his findings. Marin tells her patron that if he wished any of her findings could be censured because a lot of the experiments seem to support the ideas of Galileo who was persecuted for his ideas. However, Marin urges his patron not to censure his research as all of it has been completely verified multiple times. This shows how the politics of the church and its influence concerning scientific findings often indirectly suppressed works that could be remarkable. Lastly, Thomas Hobbes remarks in his book Leviathan that the whims of the rulers of the land had too much influence among the scientific community and that information could be too easily repressed by disgruntled nobles or papal figures.

In conclusion the influence of the Church on scientific works in the 16th and 17th century while funding many of them often hindered the most important and world changing discoveries if they went against the traditional biblical view of the world and it’s creation.