section_path: Religion, science, philosophy, and education/Scientific Revolution
section_name: Scientific Revolution
paragraph_text: Scientific Revolution
  
  The Great Divergence in scientific discovery, technological innovation, and economic development began in the early modern period as the pace of change in Western countries increased significantly compared to the rest of the world.
  
  During the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, empiricism and modern science replaced older methods of studying nature, which had relied on ancient texts by writers like Aristotle. By the time of the Revolution, these methods resulted in an accumulation of knowledge that overturned ideas inherited from Ancient Greece and Islamic scholars. Major changes during the Scientific Revolution and the 18th century included:
  
  In the social sciences: