CULTURE FOR SCIENTISTS

Mp3 LS009

HISTORY

The story of the Royal Society is the story of

modern science.
Our origins lie in a 1660 ‘invisible college’ of natural
244 philosophers and physicians. Today we are the UK’s
national science academy and a Fellowship of some
1,600 of the world’s most eminent scientists.
UNIT 3. ABSOLUTISM AND ENLIGHTENMENT

Nullius in verba
The very first ‘learned society’ meeting on 28
November 1660 followed a lecture at Gresham
College by Christopher Wren. Joined by other leading
polymaths including Robert Boyle and John Wilkins,
the group soon received royal approval, and from 1663
it would be known as ‘The Royal Society of London for
Improving Natural Knowledge’. ↑ Royal
Society, Crane
The Royal Society’s motto ‘Nullius in verba’ is taken to mean ‘take nobody’s word for it’. It is an Court, off Fleet
expression of the determination of Fellows to withstand the domination of authority and to verify all Street, London:
statements by an appeal to facts determined by experiment. a meeting in
progress, with
Isaac Newton in
Advancements and adventure the chair. Wood
The early years of the Society saw revolutionary advancements in the conduct and communication engraving by J.
of science. Hooke’s Micrographia and the first issue of Philosophical Transactions were published Quartley after
[J.M.L.R.], 1883.
in 1665 alone. Philosophical Transactions, which established the important concepts of scientific
priority and peer review, is now the oldest continuously-published science journal in the world.
We published Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica, and Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment
demonstrating the electrical nature of lightning. We backed James Cook’s journey to Tahiti, reaching
Australia and New Zealand, to track the Transit of Venus. We published the first report in English
of inoculation against disease, approved Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine, documented the
eruption of Krakatoa and published Chadwick’s detection of the neutron that would lead to the
unleashing of the atom.
The leading scientific lights of the past four centuries can all be found among the 8,000 Fellows
elected to the Society to date. From Newton to
Darwin to Einstein and beyond, pioneers and
paragons in their fields are elected by their peers.
Current Fellows include Jocelyn Bell Burnell,
Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking and Tim
Berners-Lee.

← An image from Hooke’s Micrographia.

Independence
Over time, the criteria for, and transparency of election to the Fellowship became stricter, and
Fellows were elected solely on the merit of their scientific work. The first female Fellows were elected ↓ Dorothy
in 1945 — Dorothy Hodgkin, elected in 1947, remains Britain’s only female Nobel Prize-winning Hodgkin at
work in her
scientist. laboratory,
In the 19th century, a Parliamentary Grant system was introduced, allowing the 1964.
Society to aid scientific development while remaining an independent body. The
Society now allocates nearly £42 million each year from government grants and
donations and legacies from organisations and individuals. Peter Collins, 245
Emeritus Director at the Royal Society, has written about the history of the
Society’s postwar activities in The Royal Society and the promotion of

SCIENCE, SATIRE AND DYSTOPIA

science since 1960 (published by Cambridge University Press in 2015).
Through our policy work, journals, scientific meetings, events,
worldwide partnerships and grants and awards, the Royal Society
works to support excellence in science, building a home and
future for science in the UK.

MISSION AND PRIORITIES

The Society’s fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding

Charters of the 1660s, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to
encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.
The Society has played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant, and life-changing
discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists continue to make outstanding
contributions to science in many research areas.

Our priorities
• Promoting science and its benefits
• Recognising excellence in science
• Supporting outstanding science
• Providing scientific advice for policy
• Fostering international and global cooperation
• Education and public engagement
from www.royalsociety.org

UNDERSTAND CONTENT Look back at the text and answer the questions about the Royal Society.
3
− What do the two dates 1660 and 1663 refer to?
− What is the society’s motto and what does it mean?
− Which important scientific events and discoveries are listed in the third paragraph
as achievements of the Royal Society? Research the dates for these key events on
the Royal Society site (www.royalsociety.org/about-us/history) and list them.
− For which two important reasons is Dorothy Hodgkin mentioned?
− What are the £42 million used for?
− The Royal Society’s main purpose is the same as when it was founded in the 1660s. What is it?