126 Science Religion and Reality 



we may remark that he seems dimly to have foreseen the approach- 

 ing clash between the scientific and the reh'gious standpoints, and 

 that he solved the difficulty in the way chosen by many other 

 scientific men since his day. He accepted the existence of two 

 forms of experience : an outer, subject to natural law, about which 

 we may reason, and an inner which has no relation to such law and 

 is above and beyond reason. The position, if rigidly maintained, 

 is quite impregnable from the scientific side. Between it and 

 science there could never be any real conflict. 



1 1 . The Dawn of Modern Science 



The period that represents the growth of the modern attitude 

 to science — say from about 1500 to about 1700 — may be roughly 

 divided into two sections. During the earlier of these periods 

 the experimental method, though gradually more and more 

 recognised in practice, is still regarded as an uncertain instrument. 

 It is still largely a subject the nature of which it is for the philo- 

 sophers to discuss. Those who occupy themselves with the actual 

 business of observation, men of science as we call them to-day, are 

 few and their work is as yet inconspicuous. 



Pietro Pomponazzi (1462- 1525), Antonio Telesio (1482- 

 1534), Bernardino Telesio (i 509-1 588), Francesco Patrizzi 

 (i 529-1 597), Giordano Bruno (i 548-1 600), Francis Bacon 

 (1561-1639), Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639), Marin 

 Mersenne (1588-1648), Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), culminat- 

 ing with Rene Descartes (i 595-1 650), represent a long line of 

 thinkers, all of whom had some share in forging the great instru- 

 ment of scientific thought, yet none of whom, save the last, have 

 left any deep impression on the actual body of scientific knowledge. 

 Associated with this army of philosophers is a small body of actual 

 scientific workers, of whom the most prominent are Johannes 

 Muller of Konigsberg (Regiomontanus, 1436- 147 8), Nicholas 

 Copernicus (1473-1543), Andreas Vesalius (15 14-1564), and 

 Tycho Brahe (i 546-1 601). We observe that the danger to the 

 prevalent religious systems of the day is now becoming apparent. 

 Pomponazzi dies without the consolations of the Church ; 

 Bernardino Telesio arouses the anger of the Church on behalf of 

 its cherished Aristotelianism, and a short time after his death his 

 books are placed on the Index ; Bruno, the exponent of the 

 philosophical implications of Copernicus, is burnt for his pains ; 



