Explain how Renaissance humanists influenced the Scientific Revolution.(1 point) Responses Humanists started universities to study ancient works from Greece. Humanists started universities to study ancient works from Greece. Humanists returned to the learnings of the church and the texts of the Bible. Humanists returned to the learnings of the church and the texts of the Bible. Humanists were inspired by Islamic scholars and spread the Islamic culture to Europe. Humanists were inspired by Islamic scholars and spread the Islamic culture to Europe. Humanists learned Greek and Latin and were eager to rediscover works of ancient scholars.
Renaissance humanists influenced the Scientific Revolution primarily through their eagerness to learn Greek and Latin and their drive to rediscover and study works of ancient scholars. This revival of classical learning laid the groundwork for a more inquisitive and empirical approach to understanding the world, which is a hallmark of the Scientific Revolution.
Humanists placed a strong emphasis on the importance of education and the value of ancient texts, which had preserved the philosophies and observations of Greek and Roman thinkers such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, Euclid, and others. By studying these texts, Renaissance scholars were reintroduced to a worldview that placed a significant focus on human capability and the pursuit of knowledge.
This intellectual climate fostered skepticism about traditional authorities, including the Church, and stimulated the reexamination of accepted beliefs and dogmas. Humanists helped create an environment in which questioning, investigation, and critical thinking were valued, and this set the stage for scientific thinkers to ask new questions and seek evidence-based answers about the natural world.
The rediscovery of ancient texts was not limited to works by European authors; it included works by Islamic scholars as well, often translated from Arabic into Latin. Islamic scholars had preserved and built upon Greco-Roman knowledge throughout the Middle Ages, and their contributions in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and other fields became accessible to European thinkers through these translations.
By valuing the study of ancient texts and prioritizing the importance of human reason and empirical evidence, Renaissance humanists inadvertently laid a cultural and intellectual foundation for the Scientific Revolution. Innovators like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, among others, were influenced by this humanist approach, motivating them to challenge old views and develop new scientific theories that transformed our understanding of the universe.