Why was 17th Century England a particularly supportive place for groundbreaking thought?
score:8
It was clearly a remarkable period for English scientific thought, but historians of science bicker about why. One very good reason might be the work of Sir Francis Bacon, essentialy the founding father of British 'natural philosophy. By the 1640's he had followers, described by Robert Boyle as the 'invisible college', which may refer to a group of early experimentalists who were meeting at Gresham College in London from 1645 until 1663, when they became The Royal Society. Charles the Second at the Restoration in 1660 became intersted in the groups activities. Royal patronage clearly fostered the growth of science. Perhaps the key political event, from the point of view of proto-scientists and philosophers was the 'Glorious Revolution'of 1688. By the turn of the 18th Century, Britain was regarded as the most progressive, the freest country in Europe, widely admired by the early French philosophes for its free thinking and political liberties. Science and philosophy need freedom in which to operate, I would wish to argue.
Upvote:3
Certainly, social and economic conditions in England are responsible for this. Wikipedia says this shortly:
By the early 17th century, England was a centralized state, in which much of the feudal order of Medieval Europe had been swept away.
(the article Capitalism). Similar process went on in Holland, Germany and France, but Germany was not a centralized state, in France the feudal order was swept away only a century later, and Holland was too small in comparison with England.
Apparently in the very beginning of 17 century England became the most advanced country in all respects. Why industrial revolution happened in England earlier than elsewhere? Why the revolution against absolutism happened in England first? All these things are interrelated, and a complete answer would include an analysis of the whole history of England.
By the way the greatest advance of science in France happened shortly before and after the French revolution, but this was in the next century. So apparently development of capitalism and political freedom are responsible for surges of intellectual activity.
EDIT. Britain clearly takes the lead only in the later half of 17th century. In the earlier half there were Kepler in Austria, Galileo in Italy, Descartes, Fermat and Pascal in France, and no comparable figures in Britain, except Napier.
More post
- 📝 Was Rommel anti-semitic?
- 📝 Why China government used military and tanks against students on Tienanmen Square in 64 incident?
- 📝 Why did only Anglo-Saxon kings wear helmets?
- 📝 Prior to 1963 did a British nobleman ever disclaim or renounce his title? What would have happened if someone had tried?
- 📝 What tactic/strategy won Napoleon the six-day campaign
- 📝 What is it called when a Corporation purchases the rights to something to prevent it's production, to increase profit
- 📝 When did European building interiors partitioned into rooms become commonplace?
- 📝 The practice of translating foreign monarch's or noble's name
- 📝 Why did Europeans (and not people in other regions) dominate oceans?
- 📝 Who discovered first that the Moon does not have its own light?
- 📝 Can the Largest Infantry Polearms be Wielded by Cavalry?
- 📝 What was the main diet of pre-agricultural Asians?
- 📝 Who are the ancestors of the Israelites?
- 📝 Did Cao Cao really say the greatest traitor resembled an honest man?
- 📝 What was character of Chmielnitski's rise?
- 📝 At the Battle of Waterloo, why did the French army throw so many troops into the fight for Hougoumont?
- 📝 Has a head of state ever actually killed another in battle?
- 📝 What is the history of Cartography?
- 📝 What was the alcoholic beverage of choice for British soldiers during WW2?
- 📝 Is there evidence that scrubbing floors on one's hands and knees was a commonplace drudgery for women in the past?
- 📝 Earning a living from teaching chess in 18-19th century England
- 📝 Napoleon's Dresden Victory Double-Flank attack
- 📝 How controversial were "updates" of churches in the past?
- 📝 When did Lincoln claim that "Vicksburg is the key" to winning the civil war?
- 📝 How did Larry Wu-tai Chin's leak in Oct. 1970 — of a classified document — allow China "to alter [...] volume of anti-U.S. rhetoric in the press"?
- 📝 How did Nazi Germany produce such an impressive portfolio of officers for WW2?
- 📝 What was the criminal charge of "pretending sodomy" in 1719 England?
- 📝 Has the US Congress ever repealed a law?
- 📝 "Black Bull" pubs in Northumberland
- 📝 Legacy of the May 1968 Paris riots
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why was 17th Century England a particularly supportive place for groundbreaking thought?
- 📝 Was it widespread during the 17th and 18th Century for British country people to be evicted and replaced with more profitable agriculture?
- 📝 Why was it "acceptable" for Prince Charles to marry a divorced woman, when Edward VIII had to abdicate for marrying divorcee Wallis Simpson?
- 📝 Why could China keep most of the lands it conquered after 17th century but European powers could not?
- 📝 Why was no Nobel Prize for Literature awarded in 1935?
- 📝 If the Ch’in dynasty was so short-lived, why was China named for it?
- 📝 Why was language not used to establish dominance throughout England 1066 AD–1360s CE?
- 📝 Why did England consistently adopt red as their primary colour for insignia and uniform?
- 📝 Why was the area now known as Liberia chosen as the location for repatriation of African slaves in the US?
- 📝 If modern human existed for hundreds of thousands years why was writing invented only some 7000-9000 years ago?
- 📝 Why was Germany held accountable for WW1?
- 📝 Why was Washington State an attractive site for aluminum production during World War II?
- 📝 Why was Reagan sworn in twice for his second term?
- 📝 How common was banditry in 16th & 17th century Great Britain and Ireland?
- 📝 How common was it for people to live 80+ years in the 17th century?
- 📝 Constantine the Great created the Chi-Rho from the Greek word for "Christ". Why choose Greek over Latin, even though he was Roman?
- 📝 Why do some 17th and 18th century maps depict Ottoman sanjaks north of the Danube in Wallachia?
- 📝 Why was the Halifax death penalty reserved for thefts of at least 13½ pence?
- 📝 Why was Villa Gaggia chosen as the setting for Hitler & Mussolini's July 1943 meeting?
- 📝 Why was an SS commander dismissed and charged for the mistreatment of Jewish prisoners?
- 📝 Why was the Me262 not suited for a bomber role?
- 📝 Why was William III of England referred to as the British-Batavian Nassau?
- 📝 Why was the BEF so ill-prepared for WW1?
- 📝 Was the enclosure responsible for the supply of factory workers in 18th and 19th Century England?
- 📝 Was Casablanca a "safe" place for the Allies to hold a global conference in January, 1943?
- 📝 What was the typical range of travel of a Pennsylvanian resident for everyday life in the late 18th early 19th Century Pennsylvania?
- 📝 What was the motivation for the Church of England to begin recording births, marriages and deaths in 1538?
- 📝 What was the procedure for prosecuting criminals in England between the World Wars?
- 📝 Why was "Caesar" borrowed for the imperial title in German rather than "Augustus"?
- 📝 Did the civil wars of 17th century England facilitate an independent spirit in the American colonies?