Discovery of America and the Scientific Revolution in Europe Essay

Discovery of America and the Scientific Revolution in Europe - Essay Example While Columbus could not have been the first European to discover the â€Å"New World† and did not actually reach the mainland until 1498, his discovery greatly contributed to extensive knowledge on the â€Å"New World† for the first time in history3. The scientific revolution refers to the emergence of the modern science during the time of early modern period when development in physics, mathematics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, and human anatomy transformed the views of nature and society4. Before the discovery of this â€Å"New World†, there was widespread belief that people living in such places were not normal. The Romans, in particular, held a belief that people who were living in northern Africa were monsters, and abnormal. Such beliefs went on into the medieval era5. The discovery of the â€Å"New World† by Columbus assisted a great deal in removing this ignorance and superstitions. Further, this discovery made Europeans be more interested in discovering the physical world. The relation with nature changed and it had to be controlled in order to have the desired effect. This was actually the beginning of scientific revolution6. Alongside these developments, there was also cultural and political change that occurred in Spain and the rest of Europe as result of exploration and extension of the overseas empires. The early modern period saw a tremendous rise in European engagement with and knowledge of the â€Å"outside world†. This paper discussed the relationship between the discovery of America and the rise of a scientific revolution in Spain and subsequently to Europe. The Columbian explorations in the New World led to the development of the new transportation technologies that could facilitate navigation and other forms of transportation between Spain and the New World7. European explorers improved the new transport technologies that were developed by Spain. These explorers gathered from the â€Å"New World† information  concerning the culture of the local people, and people who were not previously known.