Philosophy and Science

At the start of the 16th century, most science was a branch of theology; it confirmed the religious ideas of that time. There was no such thing as a strict division between the fields of theology, science and philosophy; they were intertwined. For example, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was considered a philosopher in his own time. We however always associate him with science and see him as one of the founders of modern science.

During the 16th century, these fields gradually marked their borders and eventually became separate fields of study in the 17th century. With our modern mindset, while reading Renaissance texts, we should keep in mind, that these fields were connected in ways we cannot imagine. Moreover, religion still played an important role in all of these fields. An example is the difference, or rather lack of difference, between astrology and astronomy. To us, astronomy is a science. Modern astrology on the other hand, is not scientific. Astrology supposes that the stars have influence on human beings and tries to predict this influence. The strict division of astronomy and astrology was not made in the 16th century. Astrology was also thought of as a “science”. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), a German astronomer, astrologer and mathematician was one of the first to mark the difference between these fields.

More about Renaissance philosophy:

http://www.providence.edu/dwc/renphil.htm