• Question: who invented science??? :)

    Asked by jessicag to Angela, Gabriele, Karen, Maria, Shane on 15 Nov 2013. This question was also asked by sarahs.
    • Photo: Karen McCarthy

      Karen McCarthy answered on 15 Nov 2013:


      The first person who asked a question invented science! Science is a way of thinking, and trying to answer questions. Its a way of not accepting everything just because people say so – you need to find proof and examples to back up your thoughts! 🙂

    • Photo: Gabriele De Chiara

      Gabriele De Chiara answered on 15 Nov 2013:


      The first person was Galileo Galilei who was an italian astronomer, physicist and philosopher who is considered the father of modern science (not just physics). He set up the scientific method which is the way that science should be done. First we observe a phenomenon, then we make some hypothesis for the explanation, and we check whether our explanation works by repeating an experiments many times (reproducibility). Then we try to make a theory that explain this but also other phenomena. It is desirable to make predictions of new phenomena and then interrogate nature with other experiments to confirm the theory. If you want to know more, check this:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei

    • Photo: Angela Stevenson

      Angela Stevenson answered on 15 Nov 2013:


      That’s actually a really tough question! Good job! I ll try my best to answer. The word “scientist” entered the English language in 1834, so we could argue that Charles Darwin or Michael Faraday, two great scientists were the first ever modern scientists and thus invented science. BUT even if the term didn’t exist before them there were still lots of people doing science or at least who embodied its principles. It was William Gilbert, born in 1544, who pioneered science! William is an obscure figure in the history of science. He was Queen Elizabeth I and King James I doctor…. but his work on magnetism that gives him his title of the first modern scientist. At that time he was busy utilizing the scientific method and setting examples for his peers, including Galileo Galilei who came 20years AFTER William Gilbert. Great question Jessi!

    • Photo: Shane Mc Guinness

      Shane Mc Guinness answered on 20 Nov 2013:


      Great question Jessica and very broad answers guys.

      Can we really put the “invention” of science down to one person though? Does it matter who invented the scientific method or “pioneered science”?
      In my opinion we as humans became scientists a long, long time ago, when we first began to use tools. Through trial and error we managed to invent fire, the wheel, clothes, grow crops, breed our own animals…. etc.

      So in my opinion we have been scientists ALL ALONG! It was only when somebody put a name to this kind of thinking that the word was invented.
      You’re a scientist too Jessica. Ever poured orange juice onto cornflakes to see what happens? I haven’t, but maybe you could test this and find out…..

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