Argumentative text: “An expanding world”

In the following text I’m going to discuss about the importance of the new geographical and scientific discoveries in the 16^th century, which weakened the old models of the world and the universe.

Ptolemy was one of the first and most important astronomers. In 150 A.D he wrote the “Geography” that is a scientific treatise about the world’s geography. It defined the geography and established the principles of global mapping. Moreover it allowed scholars to map the world for the first time. It follows that Renaissance geographers continued to study the world’s geography and they used Ptolemy’s theory as a model to try to map the “expanding world”. Therefore Ptolemy got an important role in the astronomic history. Ptolemy’s theory was used by the most important explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama. It marks that astronomic and geographic observations were useful for the new explorations of faraway lands. Seafarers and explorers had to consult and study the geographical maps before their sea travel. Indeed the overseas voyages were strictly connected to the scientific discoveries. Ptolemy’s view of the universe was based on the geocentric theory. He believed that the earth was at the centre of the universe and the sun with the other planets revolved in concentric spheres around it. Moreover below the moon was the “world of mutability” and above it the “world of permanence”. Such earth-centred model was closely related to the God-centred ideology in Middle Ages.

In the 16^th century, Nicolaus Copernicus weakened the Ptolemy’s theory and proposed a new model of the solar system. He was born in Poland but studied in Italy. He was inspired by a mathematics professor to question the medieval astronomical dogma. Indeed he believed that the sun was at the centre with the earth and the other planets moving circularly around it. He replaced the earth-centred model with the sun-centred view. It follows that he set the basis of modern astronomy.

The invention of the telescope by Galileo Galilei proved that the earth turns around the sun. He also established the scientific method which consists of the study of the physical world by sensory observation, experiment and mathematical measurement.

Astrology was considered an important scientific discipline indeed it was taught at universities. People thought that traditional medicine linked bodily rhythms and diseases to the motion of the seven planets and the twelve signs of the zodiac influenced on the various organs of the body. Therefore people thought that the human microcosm could be understood through the macrocosm of the universe. Moreover people believed there was an hierarchical system that linked the different orders of life. At first there was the inanimate class, then the vegetative class followed by the animal class where the man was on top and finally the angels. Man occupied an important position in the chain because his function was to link all creations together.

As a result, the geographical and scientific discoveries were important from the commercial and economic point of view because they allowed the explorers to make overseas voyages. Besides astronomy was considered an important discipline because people believed it was strictly connected to human being’s lives.