Question

Europeans who participated in the scientific revolution placed value on knowledge that was acquired through what?

Answer 1

Answer:

Through experimentation and observation and by the use of reason.

Explanation:

The Scientific Revolution placed an emphasis on empirical analysis as a way of acquiring knowledge.  Empiricism is the term for an approach that emphasizes learning from observation and experience, rather than relying on tradition or superstition.  Francis Bacon wrote about this method in his 1620 book, Novum Organum Scientiarum - "The New Instrument of Science."

There was also an emphasis on the use of reason to think things through thoroughly, seeking to establish knowledge that held up to scrutiny and deep thought.  This was the approach put forth by Rene Descartes in a famous book he published in 1637, Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences.  (I'll spare you the full title in French.)   This approach was known as rationalism.

Both the rationalism of Descartes and the empiricism advocated by Bacon had an influence on the Scientific Revolution.  In the end, science mostly followed the path of empiricism.  There continued to be advocates of rationalism within the field of philosophy.