What is the role of experimentation and scientific method in the Scientific Revolution, and how did it challenge traditional authorities?

• A. Mathematical deduction from first principles with no need for observation.
• B. Religious doctrine and ancient authorities remained unchallenged.
• C. Empirical evidence and observation; challenged reliance on church and ancient authorities for explaining natural phenomena.
• D. Random guesswork and superstition.

Answer: (C)

Experimentation and empirical evidence became the engine of knowledge during the Scientific Revolution, challenging traditional authorities that relied on religious doctrine and ancient texts. The scientific method took shape as a cycle of observation, hypothesis, controlled experiments, measurement, and continual testing, with mathematics used to describe patterns and laws. This shift showed that natural phenomena have natural explanations that can be discovered through careful study, not merely accepted on authority. Figures like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton demonstrated how observations and experiments can overturn long-held beliefs, leading to a more evidence-based understanding of the universe. Because knowledge now depended on what could be observed and tested, the authority of the church and of Aristotle and Ptolemy was questioned and often replaced by a framework grounded in evidence. The other options don’t fit because this approach is not about deduction without observation, nor about keeping religious or ancient authorities unchallenged, and it certainly isn’t about random guesswork and superstition.