The Scientific Revolution
Etymology
“Scientific” is from Latin “scientia” (“knowledge”), paired with “revolution” in its sense of sweeping overthrow. The phrase as a period label was popularized in the 20th century, notably by historians Alexandre Koyré and Herbert Butterfield. Fittingly, Copernicus’s 1543 book on the heavens carried “revolutionibus” in its very title.
noun phrase · /sy-en-TIF-ik rev-uh-LOO-shun/
The period, roughly 1543 to 1700, when modern science emerged as figures like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton overturned ancient views of nature.
What it names
The birth of the experimental method and the moment observation began to outrank ancient authority — the foundation of how we now judge truth.
Example
The Scientific Revolution replaced “because Aristotle said so” with “because the experiment shows so.”
Related idea
Distinguish it from the Enlightenment, which followed it and applied the new scientific confidence to human society, politics, and religion.