1214-1292 Bacon, Roger English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiricism. His Opus Majus contains treatments of mathematics, optics, alchemy, and astronomy, including theories on the positions and sizes of the celestial bodies.
1225-1274 Aquinas, Thomas Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church, who attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity.
1473-1543 Copernicus, Nicolas In his final year of life, he started the Scientific Revolution by publishing his helio-centric view of the heavens.
Nicolas Copernicus Read More »
1483-1546 Luther, Martin German theologian and religious reformer who was the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
1546-1601 Brahe, Tycho Made detailed observations of planets and stars prior to invention of the telescope.
1561-1626 Bacon, Francis English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. His works are credited with developing the scientific method and remained influential through the scientific revolution. Bacon has been called the father of empiricism.
1564-1642 Galilei, Galileo Made fundamental contributions to the sciences of motion, astronomy, and strength of materials and to development of the scientific method. His formulation of inertia, the law of falling bodies, and parabolic trajectories marked the beginning of a fundamental change in the study of motion. Finally, his discoveries with the telescope revolutionized astronomy
1571-1630 Kepler, Johannes German astronomer who discovered three major laws of planetary motion, having been inspired by Copernicus’ heliocentrism and Brahe’s observations.
1588-1679 Hobbes, Thomas English philosopher, scientist, and historian, best known for his political philosophy, especially as articulated in his masterpiece Leviathan (1651). Hobbes viewed government primarily as a device for ensuring collective security.
1596-1650 Descartes, René French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. As a mathematician he combined algebra and number theory with geometry through the invention of coordinate geometry. His theory on the dualism of mind and body went on to influence subsequent Western philosophies. In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes attempted to demonstrate the existence of God and