Nevertheless, one should not forget that sometimes even the greatest scientists can be wrong. Mankind arguably benefited in many ways from this cognitive paradigm shift and with an increased understanding of the world around us, living standards and education generally improved. This scientific revolution brought about major changes in the way we thought about the world, particularly in the West. Scientific evidence soon became synonymous with 'ultimate proof' and religious knowledge was challenged by scientific sceptics.

A new theory of knowledge primarily based on empirical evidence and reason was created. Discoveries by Galileo and Newton challenged the prevalent dominant discourse. Western civilisation went through a major cognitive paradigm shift around the 17th Century. Nowadays, some people reject religion because it does not fit in with the scientific way of thinking. Once upon a time, some scientific discoveries would have been rejected because it did not fit in with the paradigms of religious knowledge systems. Nowadays it seems that the tables have turned. Science had to fit in with the world view of the time and not the other way around. There have been cases were scientific hypothesis were seen as ludicrous and even dangerous because they did not fit within the dominant way of thinking (cognitive paradigm).

But natural sciences were not always as highly regarded. Discoveries in its field have helped us to understand better what drives us as human beings, how our planet has evolved and even what the universe may look like. The contribution of the natural sciences to knowledge is a whole is undoubtedly enormous. This is partly due to its relatively recent successes and achievements.

The natural sciences currently enjoy a great reputation within many knowledge communities.

What is natural science