Human beings have embarked in scientific activities in order to know and understand everything around

them. They have persistently observed and studied the natural and physical world in order to find meanings and seek
answers to many questions.

Scientific revolution was the period of enlightenment when the developments in the fields of mathematics,
physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.

Scientific revolution was the golden age for people committed to scholarly life in science but it was also a
deeply trying moment to some scientific individuals that led to their painful death or condemnation from the religious
institutions who tried to preserve their faith, religion, and theological views. Some rulers and religious leaders did not
accept many of the early works of scientist. But these did not stop people especially scientists to satisfy their curiosity
of the natural and physical world.

Scientific revolution is very significant in the development of human beings, transformation of the society,
and in the formulation of scientific ideas. It significantly improved the conduct of scientific investigations,
experiments, and observation. The scientific revolution also led to the creation of new research fields in science and
prompted the establishment of a strong foundation for modern science. In many ways, scientific revolution
transformed the natural world and the world of ideas.

SOME INTELLECTUALS AND THEIR REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS

Scientists in all periods of time are driven by their curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity to explore the
physical and natural world. Their love for science is driven by their deep passion to know or to discover.

CREATIVITY SCIENTISTS SCIENCE

IDEAS

CURIOSITY Passion to
SCIENCE
know DISCOVERIES

Passion to
CRITICAL
discover
TECHNOLOGY
THINKING

FIGURE 1: Variables that influence the Development of Science Ideas, Science Discoveries, and Technology

Scientist are not driven by clamor for honor and publicity. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary
things. Some scientists were never appreciated during their times, some were sentenced to death, while others
were condemned by the Church during their time. In spite of all the predicaments and challenges they
experienced, they never stopped experimenting, theorizing, and discovering new knowledge and ideas.

NOTABLE SCIENTIST

• NICOLAUS COPERNICUS

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One of the Renaissance men, particularly in the field of science, is Nicolaus Copernicus. Knowledge
about the nature of the universe had been essentially unchanged since the great continued up to the resembled the
Greek ancient philosophers 1,500 years before Copernicus came on the scene (Gribbin, 2003). This One of the
Renaissance men, particularly in the field of science, Renaissance period. In one important way, Copernicus days
of Ancient Greece, some or thinkers-he did not do anything extensive such as observing heavenly bodies or
inviting people to test his ideas. His ideas were an example of what is presently called as a thought experiment.
By the time he finished his doctorate degree, Copernicus had been appointed as canon at Frombork Cathedral in
Poland. Despite his duty as a canon, he had plenty of time to sustain his interest in astronomy. Copernicus was
stronglv influenced by a book entitled Epitome published in 1496 by a German author. Johannes Müeller. This
book Contains Müeller's observations of the heavens and some commentary on earlier works especially that of
Ptolemy.
Copernicus's idea and model of the universe was essentially complete in 1510. Not long after that. he
circulated a summary of his ideas to his few close friends in a manuscript called Commentariolus (Little
 Commentary). There was no proof that Copernicus was concerned about the risk of persecution by the Church if
he published his ideas formally.
Copernicus was a busy man. His duty as a canon and as a doctor affected his time to formally publish his
work and advance his career in astronomy. The publication of his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On
the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543 is often cited as the start of the scientific revolution.
In his book, he wanted a model of the universe in which everything moved around a single center at
unvarying rates (Gribbin, 2003). Copernicus placed the Sun to be the centerpiece of the universe. The Earth and
all the planets are surrounding or orbiting the Sun each year. The Moon, however, would still be seen orbiting the
Earth. Copernicus's model of the Earth orbiting around the Sun automatically positioned the planets into a logical
sequence. In his model, Copernicus outlined two kinds of planetary motion: (1) the orbits of Venus and Mercury
lay inside the orbit of the Earth, thus, closer to the Sun; and (2) the orbits of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter lay outside
the Earth's orbit, thus, farther from the Sun. From this model, he would work on the length of time it will take for
each planet to orbit once around the Sun. The result would form a sequence from Mercury, with a shortest year,
through Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn with the longest year. He placed the planets in order of increasing
distance from the Sun. One of the great problems in the Copernicus model, however, was the position of the stars.
The stars cannot be placed in a fixed position like crystals in a distance sphere.
Copernicus is also a courageous man. Although the Copernican model makes sense now, during those
times, it was judged to be heretic and therefore it was an unacceptable idea to be taught to Catholics. The Catholic
Church banned the Copernican model and was ignored by Rome for the rest of the 16th century.

• CHARLES DARWIN

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Charles Darwin is famous for his theory of evolution. He changed our concept of the world's creation and
its evolution. Johnson (2012) described Darwin as a genius who came from a line of intellectually gifted and
wealthy family. He developed his interest in natural history during his time as a student at Shrewsbury School. He
would also spend time taking long walks to observe his surroundings while collecting specimens and he pored
over books in his father's library (Gribbin, 2003). According to Johnson, Darwin went to the best schools but was
observed to be a mediocre student. He struggled in his study in medicine and ministry, which his father has
imposed to him. Darwin's life soon changed when one of his professors recommended him to join a five-year
voyage through the HMS Beagle on the Islands of Galapagos.

Darwin published his book The Origin of Species in 1589. This book is considered to be one of the most
important works in scientific literature. Darwin collected many significant materials in order to present his theory
with overwhelming evidence. His book presented evidence on how species evolved over time and presented traits
and adaptation that differentiate species. Like many other scholars, Darwin accumulated many pertinent materials
and data that he could ever possibly need to substantiate his theory.

Darwin's observational skills as a scientist were extraordinary that moved beyond the realms of plants and
animals into the realms of humans. His book The Descent of Man was so impressive yet very controversial. He
introduced the idea of all organic life, including human beings, under the realm of evolutionary thinking. This
replaced the dominant views of a religious or biblical design that places human beings in a privileged position of
having been created by God. Darwin's theory of evolution scientifically questioned this view.

Darwin's accomplishments were so diverse that it is useful to distinguish two fields to which he made
major contributions: evolutionary biology and philosophy of science. More than these works, what made Darwin
truly remarkable was his courage to challenge religious and unscientific ideas that are deemed to be prominent
during those days. His unorthodox way of pursuing science gave more value to evidence- based science. Darwin
provided a different framework for doing scientific activities. It is a science marked by observation and
experiment.
 • SIGMUND FREUD

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Freud is a famous figure in the field of psychology. Rosenfels (1980) also described him as a towering
literary figure and a very talented communicator who did his share to raise the consciousness of the civilized
world in psychological matters.

However, apart from these, Freud also made a significant contribution in the scientific world through the
development of an important observational method to gather reliable data to study human's inner life. This method
is popularly known as the method of psychoanalysis. The scientific hypothesis he formulated formed the essential
fundamental version of this method. For Freud, this method of psychoanalysis is a scientific way to study the
human mind and neurotic illness. It is no doubt that amidst all questions on his works that led to some sort of
academic controversy, his method of psychoanalysis had great impact on the scientific way of understanding
human nature.

Freud is not a traditional thinker. According to Weiner (2016), his method of psychoanalysis was proven
to be effective in understanding Some neurological conditions that were not understood by medicine at that time.
His method was unorthodox-focusing on human sexuality and the evil nature of man. This posed immense
challenges to scholars and ordinary citizens of his time. To some, they found his ideas not easy especially in his
explanations of human sexuality.

Freud was born in a much later period from the scientific revolution but his contribution to knowledge
can be seen in many aspects of the human scene, including art, literature, philosophy, politics, and psychotherapy.
Whether he is more of a psychologist or a scientist is for people to decide. The fact remains that Freudian ideas
and theories are still considered nowadays as a great inspiration to examine human mind and behavior in a more
scientifically accepted way.

FAMOUS FILIPINOS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE

School science is filled with names of foreign scientists: Einstein. Galileo Galilei, Newton, Faraday, Darwin, and
many other Western scientists. We rarely hear of Filipino scientists being discussed in science classes. Lee-Chua (2000)
identified 10 outstanding Filipino scientists who have made significant contributions in Philippine science. These
scientists are also famous abroad especially in different science disciplines: agriculture, mathematics, physics, medicine,
marine science, chemistry, engineering, and biology.

These Filipino scientists are:

1. Ramon Cabanos Barba - for his outstanding research on tissue culture in Philippine mangoes

2. Josefino Cacas Comiso - for his works on observing the characteristics of Antarctica by using satellite images

3. Jose Bejar Cruz Jr. - known internationally in the field of electrical engineering; was elected as officer of the
famous Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

4. Lourdes Jansuy Cruz notable for her research on sea snail venom

5. Fabian Millar Dayrit- for his research on herbal medicine

6. Rafael Dineros Guerrero III– for his research on tilapia culture

7. V Enrique Mapua Ostrea Jr. - for inventing the meconium drugs testing

8. Lilian Formalejo Patena - for doing research on plant biotechnology

 9. Mari-Jo Panganiban Ruiz - for being an outstanding educator and graph theorist

10. Gregory Ligot Tangonan for his research in the field of communications technology

There are other outstanding Filipino scientists who are recognized here and abroad for their outstanding
contributions in science:

CaesarA. Saloma an internationally renowned physicist

Edgardo Gomez- famous sçientist in marine science

William Padolina- chemistry and president of National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)-Philippines

Angel Alcala - marine science

There are other scientists in the Philippines who were not identified in the list. Yet, the Philippines still need more
scientists and engineers, and there is a need to support scientific research in the country. The University of the
Philippines-Los Baños is a science paradise for agriculture, forestry, plant and animal science, and veterinary science. It
has produced numerous scientists and various research in the fields mentioned. The University of the Philippines-Visayas
is also a national center for marine science, fisheries, and other related sciences. The University of the Philippines-Manila
is a center of excellence and has produced many researchers, doctors, health professionals, and scientists in the area of
medical and public health. The University of the Philippines-Diliman also has established a national science and
engineering complex to develop more research and produce more scientists and engineers in the country. The government
must find ways to establish more research laboratories and research institutes. There is also a need to find ways on how
their researches are disseminated to the public. Many of these Filipino scientists are products of good school science. It
means they were taught and inspired by great teachers. Their interests in science started to manifest during their childhood
years. Their natural environment ignited their curiosity to learn more about the natural and physical environment. Schools
and the laboratories where they studied and worked nurtured this.

Individual Interest in Science

SCHOOL SCIENCE SCIENCE

LABORATORIES
Family
(TEACHERS AND
LEARNING (REAL-LIFE CONTEXT)
ENVIRONMENT)
Natural Environment

FILIPINO SCIENTIST

FIGURE: FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FILIPINO SCIENTISTS

Many Filipino scientists, whether they are in the country or abroad, always excel in their job. The Filipino spirit in
their souls has never faded. They continue to bring honor to the country. They make ordinary things in an extraordinary
way. They are always at par with other scientists in spite of the limited facilities we have here in the country.