The Cultural Context.

1. The Reformation split the monolithic Christian world in a decisive way. First, it was not as easy to control dogma; that does not mean that both Catholics and Protestants did not have dogma, they did; moreover, religious toleration was not a feature of Reformation Europe. For the contrasting perspective of catholics and lutherans on the cosmological issues, see this link.
2. What was different was the following:
   1. The development of national, secular and centralized states whose structure was legitimized by the appeal to rationalism.
   2. The growth of commerce and trade led to a bourgeoise that was more comfortable with "scientific" thinking and rejected excessive theological intrusions.
   3. Governments found they could legitimize themselves by supporting high culture. This led to the foundation of academies of science (very elitist) and eventually to the reorganization of universities on a more secular basis.
   4. Reinforced by the discovering of Roman law and of scientific treatises of the Greco-Roman period.
   5. Tho Europe was not "liberal" in our sense of the word, some areas (predominantly those with maritime and commericial establishments) were more receptive to new ideas than others (where agriculture dominated and feudalism persisted); scholars moved to where they were valued.
   6. Invention of the printing press gave new meaning to "open/public, sustained self-conscious reflection"