Copernican Revolution (philosophy)

The Copernican Revolution refers to a fundamental shift in how we understand the universe and our place within it. Before, people believed Earth was the center of everything (the geocentric view). The astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus proposed that the Sun, not Earth, is at the center (heliocentric view). This change dramatically altered scientific thinking, leading to new methods of inquiry and challenging long-held assumptions about humanity's position in the cosmos. Philosophically, it marked a move toward questioning authority and tradition, emphasizing observation and reason as paths to understanding reality.