... the Dutch and English retain constitutional, representative governments and hold fast to their civil liberties. In the early 1600's during the height of the Protestant-Catholic wars, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei announced that from his study of the stars, direct observations had demonstrated that Copernicus" theory was not just a matter of intellectual convenience, but was in fact also the truth ... to be very wrong on their placement of the earth at the center of the universal scheme of things. This was disturbing to the religious sensitivities of the times. After Galileo's g...

• Word Count: 2755
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... geocentrism on its head, effectively wiping out their whole set of assumptions. Where Copernicus did not offer answers, his theory led to development by other scientists and philosophers such as Galileo, who continued the practice of retuning to simplicity in mathematical models in order to make the system work. Ultimately, the movement of heliocentrism would culminate in Newton's Mathematical Principles of ... ...

• Word Count: 2887
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate