“The Scientific Revolution as the prelude of Industrial Revolution”

The Scientific Revolution was a period when new ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences led to a rejection of doctrines that had prevailed starting in Ancient Greece and continuing through the Middle Ages, and laid the foundation of modern science. According to most accounts, the scientific revolution began in Europe towards the end of the Renaissance era and continued through the late 18th century, the latter period known as The Enlightenment. It was sparked by the publication (1543) of two works that changed the course of science: Nicolaus Copernicus's De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) and Andreas Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human body).
Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution marked a steady advance in scale and performance of technology, with little revolutionary innovations that characterized the centuries before and after. In terms of technology, the Scientific Revolution was merely a prelude to the Industrial Revolution.
The cause of this is that there was a shortage of resources that used to be sufficient in the middle ages. Therefore technology was concentrated on the search for new resources and new techniques.
There were few new breakthroughs, only improvements in the existing techniques.
Da Vinci, the epitome of the age had many inventions, ranging from a spring powered car to a primitive military tank, most of which did not make it past the design stage
Mining and metal-working boomed, leading to the creation of cast-iron.
The Blast-Furnace and Cast Iron:
In this period, the transformation in  iron  metallurgy that had  been  maturing  in Europe  since  the  fourteenth  century first  began  to  have  a decisive  effect.
Cast iron is made from pig iron, which in turn is from raw iron in the ore.
Cast iron was mostly used in weapons such as cannons.
Although cast iron was used in China centuries before, the development of cast iron in the West was wholly independent.
Blast furnaces were created to generate enough heat to create cast iron.
The use of coal became widespread, as the use of iron smelting depleted the sources of firewood.
The Scientific Revolution
a period of major scientific change
change in ideas in science in this crucial period was far greater than in politics and religion.
intellectual assumptions inherited from the previous period was overthrown and a radically new system took its place.
a new quantitative, atomic, infinitely extended and secular world-picture took place of the old qualitative, continuous, limited and religious world-picture.
change in the orientation of knowledge from being a means of reconciliation of man with the world as it is, was and will be to one of controlling nature through the knowledge of its eternal laws.
the new bourgeois class found their on new social system and evolved their own new system of ideas.
Major phases in the transformation of Science:
Scientific Revolution
1. First phase
includes the Renaissance, the great navigations and the Reformation as well as the wars which ended political freedom in Italy.
transition from feudalism to capitalism
Italian cities became politically as well as economically independent and were able to build up the brilliant artistic and intellectual civilization of the Renaissance
assertion of independence of religion on a national basis
restoration of monarchy marked an end to the temporal powers of emperor and pope.
shifts of trade routes
a period of economic expansion
a conscious movement and a revolutionary movement Catholic church itself was forced to reform

Pleasure, Art and Money
medieval forms of economy, of building, of art and thought were to canish forever and to be replaced by a new culture, capitalist in its economy, classical in its art and literature, scientific in its approach to nature.
Rapid growth of secular arts, of painting, poetry and music.
money had become much more important than it had ever before
the intellectual task of the Renaissance was essentially the rediscovery and mastery of the world of art and nature.
fading away of the scientific effort of the Middle Ages because no practical use could be found for it.
marked the first breakaway from the economy, the politics and the ideas of the feudal Middle Ages.
2. Second phase
results of the opening up of America and the East to European trade and piracy began to be felt in a price crisis which shook Europe’s economy.
age of inconclusive wars of religion in France and Germany establishment of the Dutch bourgeois Republic and the British bourgeois Commonwealth
counter reformation, with the Baroque style as its visible expression
the wars of religion that raged France and Germany and the establishment of the States General of Holland and the Commonwealth of England.
political triumph of the new bourgeoisie
3. Third phase
Great Instauration or Reconstruction
political compromise
bourgeoisie held the threads of power
rapid commercial and industrial development
establishment of stable governments made rapid growth possible