Copernican and Darwinian Revolution

GEN OO3: SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND
SOCIETY

SAS 2:
T H E I M PA C T O F
COPERNICAN AND
DARWINIAN TO SOCIETY
WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION ?

• It was the period of enlightenment when the developments in the

fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry
transformed the views of society about nature.
• The ideas generated during this period enabled the people to reflect,
rethink and reexamine their beliefs and their way of life.
• Was the golden age for people committed to scholarly life in science
but it was also a deeply trying moment to some scientific individuals
that led their painful death or condemnation from the religious
institutions who tried to preserve their faith, religion and theological
views.
COPERNICAN
REVOLUTION
GEOCENTRIC MODEL
o In astronomy, the geocentric model is a superseded description of the

Universe with Earth at the center. Under the geocentric model, the Sun,
Moon, stars, and planets all orbited Earth.
o Any theory of the structure of the solar system or the universe in

which Earth is assumed to be at the centre of it all. The most highly
developed geocentric model was that of Ptolemy of Alexandria (2nd
century CE). It was generally accepted until the 16th century, after which it
was superseded by heliocentric models such as that of Nicolaus Copernicus.
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
HE was a polish astronomer who put forth the
theory that the sun is at rest near the center of
the universe, and that the earth, spinning on its
a x i s o n c e d a i l y, r e v o l v e s a n n u a l l y a r o u n d t h e
sun. This is called the heliocentric, or sun-
centered, system.
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
• He devoted more time to his study of astronomy. Until just before his death,
Copernicus conducted most of his astronomical observations and calculations
there, usually working alone. His observations were made with the "naked eye,"
as the invention of the telescope would not occur for decades after his death. In
1514, he distributed a hand-written, unpublished manuscript entitled the Little
Commentary that included the following axioms:
1) There is no one center in the Universe.
2) The Earth's center is not the center of the Universe.
3) The center of the universe is near the Sun.
4) The distance from the Earth to the Sun is imperceptible compared with the
distance to the stars.
5) The rotation of the Earth accounts for the apparent daily rotation of the stars.
6) The apparent annual cycle of movements of the Sun is caused by the Earth
revolving around it, and,
7) the apparent retrograde motion of the planets is caused by the motion of the
Earth from which one observes.
HELIOCENTRIC MODEL
• The heliocentric model is the view that proposed the Sun as the center of
the solar system. It stated that the earth revolved around the Sun, not the
other way round, as proposed by the geocentric system. Although the
Copernican model also believed the orbits of the planets to be circular,
they are actually elliptical. As the earth is also just one of the planets, the
idea of the other planets being made of something else (‘aether’) was
rejected.
• In our modern world, the credit for discovering the heliocentric model is
given to Copernicus, and the impacts of his theories and ideas have been
hailed as the Copernican Revolution.
IMPACT OF THE HELIOCENTRIC MODEL
• Despite his fears about his arguments producing scorn and controversy, the
publication of Copernicus's theories resulted in only mild condemnation from
religious authorities. Over time, many religious scholars tried to argue against
his model. But within a few generation’s time, Copernicus’ theory became
more widespread and accepted, and gained many influential defenders in the
meantime.
• The heliocentric model eventually replaced the geocentric model. In the end,
the impact of its introduction was nothing short of a revolutionary.
Henceforth, humanity’s understanding of the universe and our place in it
would be forever changed.
DARWINIAN
REVOLUTION
THEORY OF CREATION
• At a broad level, a Creationist is someone who believes in a god who is absolute creator of heaven
and earth, out of nothing, by an act of free will. Such a deity is generally thought to be
“transcendent” meaning beyond human experience, and constantly involved (‘immanent’) in the
creation, ready to intervene as necessary, and without whose constant concern the creation would
cease or disappear.
• Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all Creationists in this sense. Generally they are known as
‘theists,’ distinguishing them from ‘deists,’ that is people who believe that there is a designer who
might or might not have created the material on which he or she or it is working and who does not
interfere once the designing act is finishing.
• The focus of this discussion is on a narrower sense of Creationism, the sense that one usually finds
in popular writings (especially in America today, but expanding world-wide rapidly). Here,
Creationism means the taking of the Bible, particularly the early chapters of Genesis, as literally
true guides to the history of the universe and to the history of life, including us humans, down here
on earth (Numbers 1992).
CHARLES DARWIN EARLY LIFE
• Charles Darwin was born on February 12,
1809, in the tiny merchant town of
• Charles Darwin was a British naturalist
Shrewsbury, England. A child of wealth and
who developed a theory of evolution privilege who loved to explore nature,
based on natural selection. His views Darwin was the second youngest of six kids.
and “social Darwinism” remain • Darwin came from a long line of scientists:
controversial. His father, Dr. R.W. Darwin, was a medical
doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus
Darwin, was a renowned botanist. Darwin’s
WHO WAS CHARLES DARWIN? mother, Susanna, died when he was only
o Charles Robert Darwin was a British eight years old.
naturalist and biologist known for his EDUCATION
theory of evolution and his
• In October 1825, at age 16, Darwin enrolled
understanding of the process of natural at University of Edinburgh along with his
selection. In 1831, he embarked on a brother Erasmus. Two years later, he became a
five-year voyage around the world on student at Christ's College in Cambridge.
the HMS Beagle, during which time his • His father hoped he would follow in his
studies of various plants and an led him footsteps and become a medical doctor, but the
to formulate his theories. In 1859, he sight of blood made Darwin queasy. His father
published his landmark book, On the suggested he study to become a parson instead,
Origin of Species. but Darwin was far more inclined to study
natural history.
THEORY OF EVOLUTION
• The theory of evolution by natural
selection, first formulated in Darwin's
book "On the Origin of Species" in
1859, is the process by which organisms
change over time as a result of changes
in heritable physical or behavioral traits.
Changes that allow an organism to
better adapt to its environment will help
it survive and have more offspring.
• The theory has two main points, said Brian
• Evolution by natural selection is one of Richmond, curator of human origins at the
American Museum of Natural History in
the best substantiated theories in the
New York City. "All life on Earth is
history of science, supported by
connected and related to each other," and
evidence from a wide variety of this diversity of life is a product of
scientific disciplines, including "modifications of populations by natural
paleontology, geology, genetics and selection, where some traits were favored in
developmental biology. and environment over others," he said.
NATURAL SELECTION
• Natural selection is the differential survival

and reproduction of individuals due to
differences in phenotype. It is a key
mechanism of evolution, the change in o He described natural selection as
the heritable traits characteristic of analogous to artificial selection, a
a population over generations. process by which animals and plants
• Charles Darwin popularised the term with traits considered desirable by
"natural selection", contrasting it human breeders are systematically
with artificial selection, which in his view
favoured for reproduction. The
is intentional, whereas natural selection is
concept of natural selection
not.
originally developed in the absence
• Natural selection is a cornerstone of
modern biology. The concept, published by
of a valid theory of heredity; at the
Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in time of Darwin's writing, science had
a joint presentation of papers in 1858, was yet to develop modern theories of
elaborated in Darwin's influential 1859 genetics.
book On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection, or the Preservation of
Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
CHARLES DARWIN CONTRIBUTION TO
SCIENCE
• Darwin's greatest contribution to science is that he completed the Copernican Revolution
by drawing out for biology the notion of nature as a system of matter in motion governed
by natural laws.
• With Darwin's discovery of natural selection, the origin and adaptations of organisms
were brought into the realm of science. The adaptive features of organisms could now be
explained, like the phenomena of the inanimate world, as the result of natural processes,
without recourse to an Intelligent Designer.
• The theory of evolution conveys chance and necessity, randomness and determinism,
jointly enmeshed in the stuff of life. This was Darwin's fundamental discovery, that there
is a process that is creative, although not conscious.
DARWIN’S EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
• Darwin’s theory of Evolution has also prompted a renewal of theological reflection on the
manner of God’s creative activity and on the way God interacts with the world.
• Darwin describes a world that is less tidy and orderly. Indeed, he presents a world that is
much more complex and dynamic. He observed an abundance of forms of life, all
struggling for existence and adapting—from generation to generation—to an ever-changing
environment.
• Although some religious communities rejected Darwin’s theory as inherently atheistic,

many religious traditions have embraced it and have explored the ways Darwin has had a
positive impact on religious thinking. Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, for example,
writes: “The theory of evolution has given theology an opportunity to see God’s ongoing
activity not merely in the preservation of a fixed order but in the constant bringing forth of
things that are new.” That is to say, Evolution can help religious people affirm that God’s
creative work is a matter of continuing engagement over time. As a result, it is possible to
acknowledge the openness and flexibility of divine creative activity.
THANK YOU !

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GEN OO3: SCIENCE,

• It was the period of enlightenment when the developments in the

o In astronomy, the geocentric model is a superseded description of the

o Any theory of the structure of the solar system or the universe in

• Natural selection is the differential survival

• Although some religious communities rejected Darwin’s theory as inherently atheistic,

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