Essay 9 - What changes came about in the fields of science, philosophy and political ideas?

Paragraph 1 - Point 1

The period saw a fundamental shift from assumption-based thinking to empirical observation - creating a new framework for understanding the world that outlasted the century entirely

Paragraph 1 - Evidence 1

Francis Bacon rejected reliance on assumption and promoted observation and experimentation

Paragraph 1 - Judgement 1

Bacon didn’t discover anything himself but permanently changed how discovery worked, making empiricism foundational to scientific enquiry

Although his immediate impact was limited, his method had more influence later on

Paragraph 1 - Evidence 2

Newton published Principia 1687 - universal gravitation and laws of motion represented a massive break from the medieval worldview

Paragraph 1 - Judgement 2

Newton’s laws demonstrated that the universe operated on rational discoverable principles rather than divine mystery, fundamentally challenging religious authority

Newton himself remained religious, but his work for religious authority were radical

Paragraph 1 - Evidence 3

Royal Society founded 1660, received Royal Charter in 1662 - founded the first scientific journal 1665 - Newton elected president 1703

Paragraph 1 - Judgement 3

The Royal Society institutionalised the scientific revolution, giving empiricism royal backing and creating a permanent infrastructure for scientific exchange

Paragraph 1 - Link

The scientific revolution changed how knowledge was produced - but equally significant changes were happening in political ideas

Paragraph 2 - Point 2

The Civil War and Interregnum produced radical political movements that fundamentally challenged monarchy, property and religious authority

Paragraph 2 - Evidence 1

Levellers peaked 1647-49 - demanded Commons supremacy, universal male suffrage and religious freedom - suppressed by Cromwell

Paragraph 2 - Judgement 1

The Levellers failed politically but succeeded ideologically - anticipated modern democracy by centuries - ideas more durable than their organisation

Paragraph 2 - Evidence 2

Diggers belived in common ownership of land - wanted abolition of monarchy and Lords - dismissed as too radical at the time

Paragraph 2 - Judgement 2

The Diggers wer too socially radical for their time - ideas represent early socialist principles - long term ideological significance despite immediate failure

Paragraph 2 - Evidence 3

Charles I’s execution 1649 destroyed the inviolability of divine right monarchy - by 1688 monarchy permanently subject to law

Paragraph 2 - Judgement 3

Most politically significant event of the century - demonstrated kings could be held accountable and removed, permamently ending the idea that monarchy was untouchable

Paragraph 2 - Link

Radical political ideas reshaped the boundaries of political possibility - but philosophical frameworks of Hobbes and Locke gave these changes their most lasting foundations

Paragraph 3 - Point 3

Hobbes and Locke didn’t just respond to the revolutionary events of the century - they produced philosophical frameworks that shaped modern political thought globally

Paragraph 3 - Evidence 1

Hobbes wrote Leviathan 1651 - argued humans were naturally selfish and a strong ruler was necessary for social order

Paragraph 3 - Judgement 1

Hobbes provided the first justification for state authority, replacing divine right with rational contract theory - opened space for liberal theories that followed

Paragraph 3 - Evidence 2

John Locke wrote Two Treatises 1689 - argued life, liberty and property were natural rights - govt. exists by consent of the governed

Paragraph 3 - Judgement 2

Most far-reaching impact of any thinker in the period - directly influenced Whigs, the Enlightenment and both American and French revolutions → significant long-term impact

Paragraph 3 - Evidence 3

Locke influenced the Enlightenment and American and French revolutions - Hobbes helped shape modern conservatism

Paragraph 3 - Judgement 3

Both foundational to Western political philosophy - Hobbes and Locke changed how the entire Western world thought

Paragraph 3 - Link

Bacon and Newton revolutionised knowledge production, radical movements permanently expanded political imagination and Charles’s execution destroyed divine right monarchy - but Hobbes and Locke were the most significant legacy - they gave the entire modern world its political vocabulary