History of science patronage and its influence on thinkers

History of Science-Patronage guiding Thinkers

Scientific discoveries and inventions are the elements that brought humanity on the road to evolution and development. Without these essential tools, the civilization as we know it today could not have been possible. Nonetheless, from the time of Aristotle onwards, researchers and scientists could not have been able to achieve their goals without a constant support from the kings, queens and emperors who invested time and money into their research. Still, the issue of patronage is to this date a debated subject. The main idea of the controversy is the extent to which scientists were actually influenced by their own patrons in their research and experimental work. It is a rather hard task to determine a possible answer to such a question; however, examples from history can to some extent give a more comprehensive view on the situation of scientists, researchers of nature and their patrons.

First and foremost, it is important to pay attention not immediately on the study of natural science and its relation with the sponsors of these studies, but the general context in which science was conducted in general. During the period of the great Greek civilization, taking into account the fact that history at the time revolved around the Greek islands, the legends and heroes of Ancient Greece are to this day one of the most representative figures of the Ancient history. In this sense, Lindberg argues that "Greece was overwhelmingly dominant" and taking the point of historical reference the time of Alexander the Great, Greece was viewed as the center of the world (68). Indeed, when ideas, thoughts, and perceptions are seen and developed from a particular point-of-view or they come alive in a particular space areal, the specificities of the respective points of reference mark the actual stories, inventions, or scientific discoveries. Therefore, when discussing particular examples from the world of natural sciences, the particularities of the environment they were created are essential for their particular character.

One of the first examples of patronage can be seen in Plato's Academy. At that particular time in history, philosophy had become an essential endeavor for every young aspiring teenager. However, the art of thought could not have been taught though distinctive theoretical lessons or individual studies. It represented first and foremost, a talent one had to have, followed by an astute desire to improve in developing an inquiring mind and soul. Plato in this sense was seen as their patron. Not so much in the financial way, but in determining the lines of discussion which eventually led to conclusions that reflected, more or less, the platonic philosophy. Lindberg argues that "Plato's school was a philosophical community consisting of those who had reached various levels of maturity and attainment and who acted as equals. Plato was no doubt the dominant force, inspiring by example and assisting less advanced scholars" (70); therefore, from this perspective, it can be said that Plato influenced the line of thought of many philosophers at the time, even creating the platonic philosophy. In this sense, it is not necessarily required that financial support to be offered as a full guarantee of study for the young people that attended Plato's Academy. The philosophical heritage of Plato's Academy is rather hard to assess. Nonetheless, the dialectic means of philosophy represents one of the most important contributions to the history of the philosophical thought. The technique of the dialogues which in fact were a masked philosophical discussion remains an essential tool for arguing philosophy.

Therefore, in Plato's case, it was more a spiritual and mental patronage, despite the fact that there were no fees for entering the Academy and no taxes were paid. The control and influence was extended to the line of thought and influenced their beliefs and perceptions.

Another example that can point out to this idea of patronage at the levels of ideas rather than in terms of financial support can be found in the medicine world, with Hippocrates, who is credited for having written what would later be called the "Hippocrates writings" with the famous Hippocrates oath. Whether the writing are actually the work of Hippocrates of Cos is still a matter of debate among historians; still, the writings have influenced the world of medicine as no other particular piece of literature (Lindberg, 113). This is due to the fact that the writings conveyed a message that appealed to the world of science, that medicine and the healing of the human body is intensively linked to the philosophy of life. Moreover, as Lindberg points out, the practitioners "stood at the intersection of craft and the enterprise of philosophy. Hippocratic philosophers have achieved unanimity on any of these fundamental questions and shared the determination to proceed in a learned manner. Hippocratic authors who expressed resentment over the inclusion of philosophy into medicine did not escape its influence." (114) Therefore, from this point-of-view, it can be said that the patronage did not come in the form of financial aid or support but rather in a spiritual guidance and consideration, that would eventually influence the future generations into considering the philosophy of life as part of the study of medicine and healing.

The 17th century is considered by many historians to represent the point that marked the beginning of the modern scientific science study. Indeed, it was a period that from a historical point-of-view had been an economically prosperous one, with the Renaissance as the driving force for art, literature, culture, and science. The political experiences that were deciding on the direction of cultural developments allowed science to benefit from all the support required. Still, the results proved to be more controversial that presumed.

Francis Bacon was considered by the middle of the 17th century to be the patron of science studies. Dear argues in this sense that the adopted view on natural history was the Baconian sense "the general gathering of facts about nature" which did not require more in-depth study or meaningful disciplinary subdivisions. (116). Moreover, he supported the idea that in order to gather information about a particular area of interest or a special natural element, the most important technique used and the best means to achieve perfect understanding of the phenomenon is through free observation, without the interference of any other object or secondary deforming element (Dear, 112). This idea was spread throughout the scientific world and it would spread as a common practice; thus observation became one of the most frequently used and reliable sources of information gathering. Therefore, this too can be interpreted as being a philosophical patronage and the exertion of a certain influence that would determine the adoption of the same line of though in the following endeavors.

Despite the existence of an obvious philosophical influence, at the time there were also financial ones that related to the financial support of scientists and researchers by the kings and queens of the time. In this sense, most often there were certain academies being formed in which research and philosophical thought was conducted, without escaping the discrete influence of the financial supporter.

Galileo is one of the most representative examples in this sense. His adherence to an exclusivist club, Academia dei Lincei, "a group that had originally been formed in 1603 under the patronage of the Marquess of Monticelli and Federico Cesi" was expressed in his label of "Linceo" (Dear, 111). Therefore, this labeling indicated his belonging to a particular society determined by specific philosophical guidelines. The patronage of such an important figure as Cesi represented an important element in the development of science at the time. The importance of the personalities involved in the patronage meant that the quality of the research conducted at the college of philosophy was considerable high; at the same time however, the existence of respectable researches also attracted the diversification of the library which represented for the researches of the time such as Galileo an essential source of knowledge. Therefore, it can be said that the patronage of Federico Cesi was important for Galileo because it placed him in contact with well-known scientists, it offered him the possibility to conduct research by consulting materials from a variety of fields, thus broadening the spectrum of his analysis, and, at the same time, it enabled him to conduct research that would probably bring him prestige and fortune due to the respectability of the group he is part of.