Benjamin Epstein Nelson

Mr. Richard Lockton

LBST 2102-202
November 11, 2015
A Different Perspective
Throughout history progressivism has presented itself in momentous forms.
Such forms include the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. Between
the 15th and 18th centuries, significant changes began to take place in the ways many
Early Modern Europeans perceived, understood, and discussed the world around them
through the Scientific Revolution, and its drastically different outlook in regards to
comprehension of global happenings as a result of observations and experimentation,
as well as through the Age of Enlightenment and its similarly different outlook on society
that invoked natural governance of civilization in place of standard societal law.
The Scientific Revolution, and its drastically different outlook in regards to
comprehension of global happenings as a result of observations and experimentation,
significantly changed the ways many Early Modern Europeans perceived, understood,
and discussed the world around them. The Scientific Revolution marked the beginning
of individuals choosing to question natural occurrences and trying to understand them,
rather than accepting them as supposed results of supernatural forces. For example,
Isaac Newton sought to understand the reason for an apple falling from a tree, saying
Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground? He then
followed this trend of questioning natural occurrences and, through observation and
experimentation, defined the concept of gravity and determined its scientific

significance. Another idea exemplary of the Scientific Revolutions new outlook was
Copernicuss theory that hypothesized that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This
theory strongly contradicted the previous assumption that the Sun revolved around the
Earth, which was a direct result of the Bible validating such a postulation. Not only did
Copernicuss observation prove to be accurate, but it spurred further observation and
experimentation from other intrigued individuals.
The Age of Enlightenment implied a similarly different outlook on society, which
invoked natural governance of civilization in place of standard societal law. This
concept of natural governance revolved around human natural and inalienable rights.
The concept of Deism was a strongly influential enforcer of such concepts, implying that
the universe originated from God, who then left its governing to be dictated by natural
law. The concepts of natural and inalienable rights were also used to imply that man
had no authority to enslave man under the laws of nature. In addition, these interpreted
natural laws applied to governmental authority. The people under such government
derived that they had the right to remedy any breach of social contract under natural
law. In other words, governance that was not deemed to be adequately protecting the
natural and inalienable rights of the governed individuals would be met with
consequential changes by those individuals.
Between the 15th and 18th centuries, significant changes began to take place in
the ways many Early Modern Europeans perceived, understood, and discussed the
world around them through the Scientific Revolution and its drastically different outlook
in regards to comprehension of global happenings, as a result of observations and
experimentation, as well as through the Age of Enlightenment and its similarly different

outlook on society that invoked natural governance of civilization in place of standard

societal law. The Scientific Revolution logically challenged various worldly phenomena
through observation and experimentation, and also brought science to the forefront of
societys mindset with regards to the explanation of natural occurrences. The Age of
Enlightenment sought to replace societal governance with natural governance and,
through that transition of authority, invoke prominence of natural and inalienable
rights. These eras of global history marked a transformation of societal mentality
towards the surrounding world and universe, and together these eras constituted one of
the most significant time periods in the chronicle of historic progressivism.

Citations
1. Lockton, Richard. "The Scientific Revolution and the Natural World,
1500-1700." UNC-Charlotte, Charlotte. 28 Oct. 2015. Lecture.
2. Lockton, Richard. "The Age of Enlightenment." UNC-Charlotte, Charlotte.
2 Nov. 2015. Lecture.