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Published January 18, 2001 | public
Journal Article

The birth of scientific reading

Johns, Adrian

Abstract

There is a persistent myth about the origin of science. It goes like this: the Scientific Revolution happened when men such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton freed themselves from the medieval fixation with words and instead looked directly at things. It is a simple and powerful story that has been much repeated. But it is also quite wrong. Far from emerging from a rejection of words, in fact science originated partly from a need to master as many of them as possible.

Additional Information

© 2001 Macmillan Magazines Ltd.

Additional details

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August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 23, 2023