I see Western Civilization as two distinct ages, the of philosophy and age of empirical science. The age of philosophy, starting with the Greeks, spanned from the 6th century B.C. until the birth of Modernism in the 16th century. The age of Empiricism, spanning until the present, began in 1543 with the Copernican Revolution. The “bible” of the new Empiricism, written in 1620, was Francis Bacon’s Novum Organum. As you can imagine, the period of the early 16th century was characterized by upheaval and transition. It’s rarely seen in the course of history.
This is not to say that there was no willingness for scientific inquiry and advancement in the age of philosophy. In fact, the first philosophers, the Greek Ionians such as Thales, were highly interested in science. Because they formulated various theories on the nature of matter and the cosmos. The major problem with them and those who followed was that they needed more rudimentary instruments, such as microscopes. It would have enabled them to unlock the secrets of nature and the created order.
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