In the centuries before the Scientific Revolution, people attempted to understand natural phenomena through the lens of philosophical doctrine and speculation. Scientists were content to rely on a synthesis of Aristotelian structure and dogma in attempting to describe the world. During the Scientific Revolution, scientists began to embrace empiricism as a way to better understand the complexities of nature. Unlike today, scientists during the Scientific Revolution did not see a dichotomy between science and religion. Scientists' primary motivation in investigating nature was to add empirical support to the concept of divine design; the belief that God established order in the universe according to discernible principles. Scientists who embraced the concept of divine design were Robert Boyle (1627 -1691), Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and Sir Issac Newton (1642-1727). Boyle's law demonstrated how the inverse relationship between pressure and gas volumes is representative of the concept of cause and effect. Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion demonstrates how God designed the universe as a mechanism. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation shows how God designed the universe according to mathematical principles. Finally, Isaac Newton's Theory of Universal Gravitation shows how God designed the universe according to mathematical principles. What fully distinguished science during the Scientific Revolution from the natural philosophy that dominated previous eras was the integration of mathematics into science. After centuries in which they were relegated to the mere observation of nature, mathematics has offered scientists an invaluable tool. Through the synthesis of mathematics, science has acquired its most distinctive feature on the structure of the universe. Three scientists who believed in the concept of divine design were Robert Boyle, Johannes Kepler, and Sir Issac Newton. John Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion shows how God created the universe as a mechanism. While each of these men made significant contributions to the development of scientific knowledge, their primary progress is more subtle. Under their leadership, science progressed from philosophical speculation to a discipline deeply rooted in empiricism. Works Cited Grant, Edward. A history of natural philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 248. Print. Gullen, Micheal. Five equations that changed the world. New York: Hyperion, 1995. 23. Print.Boyle, Robert. The skeptical chemist. New York: Everyman Library, 1964. Print. Caspar, Max. Kepler. New York: Abelardo-Schuman, 1959. 123-142