Chapter VIII 



THE PRODUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC 



KNOWLEDGE 



We have followed the growth of scientific research from its 

 beginning in the seventeenth century, when the investigators 

 were amateurs engaged primarily in other pursuits but in- 

 spired by interest to experiment in the field of natural philos- 

 ophy. As their knowledge grew, they found a natural home 

 in the universities as professors of natural philosophy. Their 

 welcome in the universities arose from the fact that in the 

 Middle Ages the study of natural phenomena was considered 

 suitable for ecclesiastics, w^ho regarded the knowledge that 

 they derived from their inquiries as a means of developing 

 the fullness of the reliofious belief both of themselves and of 

 those whom they taught, and who felt that the revelation of 

 the marvels of nature was a fitting part of worship. These 

 ecclesiastics not only studied in their retreats but also taught 

 the more intelligent young men of the day, so that the uni- 

 versities evolved from the institutions of the church. 



When the methods of experimental science were developed, 

 the readiness of the universities to accept the responsibility 

 for the advancement of knowledge was due essentially to the 

 fact that the results obtained w^ere immediately applicable 

 to the purpose of teaching. Indeed, only by assiduous effort 

 and discovery could the facts of natural philosophy be suffi- 

 ciently correlated to make it possible to present them in an 

 orderly manner so that they could be understood by the im- 

 mature minds with which a university has to deal. This need 

 for investigation by the teacher was so marked and the success 

 of teachers who w^ere engaged in experimental study was so 



pronounced that it was generally recognized that the best ad- 



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