MODULE 2
INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Discuss the paradigm shifts through history
2. Explain how the intellectual revolution change the way how humans see the world; and
3. Describe the technological advancements that happened in the information age.
This module is composed of the following topics:
Lesson 1: Copernican Revolution
Lesson 2: Darwinian Revolution
Lesson 3: Freudian Revolution
When we say revolution in science we are referring to the spinning of a matter around itself or around the
other matter. But in this chapter, we will be dealing with the ground-breaking intellectual revolution that
turns the world into 360 degrees. It is like strongly believing into something and someone destroyed what
you are believing for.
LESSON 1
LET’S READ
COPERNICAN REVOLUTION
In the early times, people questioned what created
days and night. Perhaps some of you would answer
God, but religion is not the case here. So, they wanted
to understand what heavenly bodies like stars, moons,
and planets are. The invention of the telescope allowed
the people to take a peek at the outer space, but more
importantly, it also intrigued them to know what was
actually out there.
Many Greek philosophers and intellectuals wrote
about planets in an attempt to explain the movements
of heavenly bodies and their effects on the world as they knew it. Many of them agreed that the planets moved
around in circular motion and that these movements created days and nights, among others. A famous
philosopher and astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy, stated that the planets, as well as the sun and the moon,
moved in a circular motion around the Earth. He believes that the Earth was the center-a concept known as
geocentrism.
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In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish mathematician and
astronomer, challenged the Ptolemaic model. He introduced a new concept
know as heliocentrism, which suggested that the center of the Solar System
was not the Earth but actually the sun. This idea was rejected at first by the
public since the religious belief had taught them that the Earth was created
before all other things. But after some time, astronomers realized that the
Copernican model simplified the orbits for planets. It also answered issue
that could not be explained using the geocentric model. It was eventually
accepted by the people in a period which was called the birth of modern
astronomy.
(Nicolaus Copernicus)
LESSON 2
DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
The Darwinian revolution was considered to be one
of the most controversial intellectual revolutions of its
time. In 1859, Charles Darwin, an English naturalist,
biologist, and geologist, published his book, On the
Origin of Species. In this book, Darwin introduced the
theory of evolution, which posited that populations
pass through a process of natural selection in which only the fittest would
survive. However, this theory became very controversial as people
perceived it to be contradictory to the church’s teaching that the source of
life is a powerful creator because some believed and accepted the biblical
version of the Earth’s creation. Because of this conflict, people were
divided-some believed that they theory explained the origin of life but the
religious and the faithful strongly refuted it.
This has turned the world upside down for it has caused confusion and
later divide the individuals whether they will believe science or they will
believe in god. But according to Albert Einstein “the more I study science,
the more I believe in God” which only implies that he admires everything
that this universe could offer.
(Charles Darwin)
LESSON 3
FREUDIAN REVOLUTION
In the past, the field of psychology was always classified under
philosophy. Psychology was considered more of an art rather than a
science. In the late 19th, Sigmund Freud was able to change people’s
perception of psychology with his revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis.
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Psychoanalysis is the study that explains human behavior. Freud explained that there are many conscious
and unconscious factors that can influence behavior and emotions. He also argued that personality is a
product of three conflicting elements: id, ego, and superego.
The id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden
memories, the super-ego operates as a moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part that mediates
between the desires of the id and the super ego. In short, the id is your instincts, the superego is your morality
and your ego are the reality.
These three revolutionizing theories are just some of the many scientific ideas that transformed and molded
societies and beliefs. The changes they brought to the perspectives and perceptions of the scientific
community and the public are evidence of science and technology’s link to humanity.
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