MODULE 3 Midterm

Module for: Science, Technology and Society (STS)
Module No.: 3
Topic title: Intellectual Revolutions and Society
Objectives:
1. Identify the intellectual revolutions that shaped society across time;
2. Explain how intellectual revolutions transformed the view of society about dominant scientific thought;
and
3. Research on other intellectual revolutions that advance modern science and scientific thinking.
Introduction: This section reviews the intellectual revolutions that changed the way people perceived the
influence of science on society in general. It focuses on three of the most important intellectual revolutions
in history: Copernican, Darwinian, and Freudian. By discussing these intellectual revolutions in the context
of science, technology and society, the attention of students is drawn again toward the complex interplay
of the various social context’s ad the development of modern science. The section also engages students in
a critical analysis of ongoing intellectual and scientific revolutions, which they may find themselves to be
part of.
Lesson: In the study of the history of science and technology, another important area of interest involves
various intellectual revolutions across time. In this area, interest lies in how intellectual revolutions
emerged as a result of the interaction of science and technology and of society. It covers how intellectual
revolutions altered the way modern science was understood and approached. Intellectual revolutions
should not be confused with the Greek’s pre-Socratic speculations about the behavior of the universe. In
science and technology, intellectual revolutions refer to the series of events that led to the emergence of
modern science and the progress of scientific thinking across critical periods in history. Although there are
many intellectual revolutions, this section focuses on three of the most important ones that altered the
way humans view science and its impacts on society: the Copernican, Darwinian, and Freudian revolutions.
In the words of French astronomer, mathematician, and freemason, Jean Sylvian Bailley (1976 in Cohen,
1976), these scientific revolutions involved a two stage process of sweeping away the old and establishing
the new. In understanding intellectual revolutions, it is worth noting that these revolutions are, in
themselves, paradigm shifts. These shifts resulted from a renewed and enlightened understanding of how
the universe behaves and functions. They challenged long-held views about the nature of the universe.
Thus, these revolutions were often met with huge resistance and controversy
Copernican Revolution: By Nicolaus Copernicus
1. Copernicus introduced the heliocentric model in a 40 page outline called Commentariolus.

2. He formalized his model in the publication of his treatise, De Revolutionibus Orbium
Coelestium in 1543.
- The book presents a heliocentric model of the universe, which proposes that the Earth and other
planets revolve around the Sun, rather than the previously held geocentric model which placed the
Earth at the center of the universe. The work challenged the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic system of
astronomy that had been in use for centuries and revolutionized the understanding of the cosmos. It
is considered one of the most important scientific works of all time, marking a turning point in the
history of science and inspiring further scientific advancements.
3. Copernicus repositioned the Earth from the center of the Solar System and introduced the
idea that the Earth rotates on its own axis.
4. In his model, the Earth, along with other heavenly bodies, rotates around the Sun.
5. The heliocentric model faced resistance, particularly from the Church, who accused
Copernicus of heresy.
6. Copernicus faced persecution from the Church due to his idea that it was not the Earth, and
by extension, not man, that was at the center of all creation.
7. The Copernican model had some inadequacies that were later filled in by astronomers who
participated in the revolution.
8. The heliocentric model was accepted by other scientists of the time, particularly Galileo
Galilei.
9. The Copernican Revolution marked the beginning of modern astronomy and served as a
catalyst to sway scientific thinking away from age-long views about the position of the Earth
relative to an enlightened understanding of the universe.
10. The Copernican Revolution marked a turning point in the study of cosmology and
astronomy, making it a truly important intellectual revolution.
Darwinian Revolution: By Charles Darwin
1. Charles Darwin's treatise on the science of evolution, On The Origin of Species, was
published in 1859 and started the Darwinian Revolution.
2. The Darwinian Revolution built on earlier intellectual revolutions in the 16th and 17th
centuries, which emphasized the power of human reason to explain phenomena in the
universe.
3. Darwin's theory of natural selection proposed that organisms inherit, develop, and adapt
traits that favor survival and reproduction, resulting in offspring that are better suited to
their environment.
4. The theory of evolution faced resistance and was controversial, with critics questioning its
ability to account for the complexity of the evolutionary process and the role of God in the
design of organisms.
5. The Darwinian Revolution showed that the laws of nature can explain biological phenomena
related to survival and reproduction, similar to how the Copernican Revolution
demonstrated the power of natural laws to explain astronomical phenomena.
6. The Darwinian Revolution helped to rationalize the development of organisms and the
origin of unique forms of life through a lawful system or orderly process of change.
7. The Darwinian Revolution had significant implications for fields such as biology, ecology,
genetics, and anthropology.
8. The theory of natural selection provided a new understanding of the relationship between
humans and the natural world.
9. The Darwinian Revolution also had social and cultural impacts, as it challenged traditional
religious beliefs and prompted debates about the place of humanity in the natural world.
10. The Darwinian Revolution paved the way for further scientific research and discoveries in
the field of evolution and helped to shape modern scientific thinking.
FREUDIAN REVOLUTION By Sigmund Freud

1. The Freudian Revolution was a 20th-century intellectual revolution led by Austrian
neurologist Sigmund Freud, who developed psychoanalysis.
2. Psychoanalysis is a scientific method of understanding inner and unconscious conflicts
within an individual's personality, using free associations, dreams, and fantasies.
3. Freud's psychoanalytic concepts of psychosexual development, libido, and ego were met
with both support and resistance.
4. Psychoanalysis emphasized the existence of the unconscious, which was controversial as it
contained feelings, thoughts, urges, emotions, and memories outside of one's conscious
mind.
5. Some scientists criticized psychoanalysis for being unscientific as a theory and lacking
empirical data to support its claims.
6. Critics felt that psychoanalysis was more of an ideological stance than a scientific one.
7. Freud's theory of the Oedipus and Electra complexes (sexual desire towards the parent of
the opposite sex and exclusion of the parent of the same sex) was also controversial and
lacked empirical evidence.
- The Oedipus complex involves a boy's sexual desire for his mother and hostility toward his father,
while the Electra complex involves a girl's sexual desire for her father and hostility toward her
mother.
8. Despite controversy, psychoanalysis dominated psychotherapeutic practice in the early 20th
century.
9. Psychodynamic therapies used to treat psychological disorders are still largely informed
by Freud's work on psychoanalysis.
10. The Freudian Revolution marked a shift in how mental health was approached and treated,
leading to new understandings of the human psyche and the development of various
schools of psychology.

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Module for: Science, Technology and Society (STS)

Copernican Revolution: By Nicolaus Copernicus

1. Copernicus introduced the heliocentric model in a 40 page outline called Commentariolus.

Darwinian Revolution: By Charles Darwin

FREUDIAN REVOLUTION By Sigmund Freud

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