How did the revolution in thought that occurred between 1500 to 1880 impact the spiritual, intellectual, and social lives of everyday people?

The revolution in thought during 1500 and 1800 is mainly led by the Scientific Revolution (mid-sixteenth century) that produced a shift in paradigms and social values. It had important repercussions on the receptiveness of astronomy and cosmology that alongside discoveries in mathematics, physics, the encounter with new peoples, the improvement of navigation, the invention of movable types, among others, led to new intellectual perspectives and methods of discovery based on rationalism rather than religion.

The world explained in mechanical terms led to secularism and the need for improving the material life, hence the shift from sacrificing the mundane life for the after life to working on the improvement of the present and its immediate pleasures. This shift can be seen in literature, where it shifted from fantasy and emotion to rationalism. The separation between the observable world from the spiritual sphere had a shift in thought as it fostered the idea that humans could control their surroundings. The elevation of mankind starts taking place.

There were important transformations in the family structures. Due to crises in authority, Catholic and Protestant reformations took place, leading to a change in relationships. The celibate ideal was replaced by the status of married couples, where family responsibilities were divided yet, with the husband as the head. This severily increased reproduction that created the basic unit of production for the emerging capitalist system.

As well, scientific emphasis changed the idea about children as they were seen as a source of self-improvement therefore reaching out for more attention to education. During this time schools grew larger and had their students exposed to these new values thus reshaping the medieval educational system, where the school replaced the family as parent.

This revolution in thought led, overall, to conflicts between genders and political criticism, models of how to explain our existence and epistemological approaches.