The Royal Society

What contributed to the Royal Society being granted a charter?

Charles II

When was it established?

July 1662

List 3 of its most important members:

• Christopher Wren, founder and architect

• John Locke, philosopher

• Samuel Pepys, diarist and civil servant

Whose method did many of its members follow?

Francis Bacon's scientific method

1684, dedicated solely to scientific pursuits

Why was the Royal Society more impactful than universities?

Nonconformists were excluded from both universities

Anyone genuinely engaged in pushing the boundaries of science did so through the society

Who was president of the royal society for 24 years?

Isaac Newton

Why have some historians argued that the societies influence was limited?

Channel for scientists to air their discoveries rather than assist them

What did the society intend to do with the knowledge it had collected?

Use for the public good

Who did the society encourage to contribute?

Foreign scholars

What original publication did the society produce?

1665, Philosophical Transactions

Why might both of these factors increase the impact of the society?

They facilitated collaboration and dissemination of scientific knowledge.

What precise evidence is there that communication between members increased discoveries?

1661, Malpighi wrote to the Society about the capillary action in the lungs of frogs - missing link in William Harvey’s blood circulation theory

Who copied the Royal Society?

1666, French Royal Academy of Sciences

Who funded the Royal Society?

Endowments from wealthy supporters and gifts from amateur scientists

What public lessons were given by the society?

Anatomy lessons, dissection of criminals

Why might this increase its impact on a wider range of society?

Science became part of public consciousness, no longer viewed with suspicion

Contributed to the Age of Reason/Enlightenment

How might Thomas Sprat have reduced belief in a magical universe?

Claimed astrologers only served to deceive and alchemists were fraudulent

What did many famous members of society believe in?

Magical areas of study, e.g. astrology and alchemy

What did Joseph Glanvill argue?

For the existence of witches

What method did he use to prove it?

Baconian method, aimed to establish matters of fact

What does that say about the limits of the Baconian method?

May not fully encompass all aspects of inquiry, particularly those related to the supernatural or mystical, took no interest