Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything

Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything by Philip Ball

Curiosity has been a driving force of science. There needs to be a degree of inquisitiveness before one seeks our to understand. This book looks at how curiosity led to a repulsion of the "facts" of Aristotle to the new proto-scientific method, primarily during the enlightenment. Characters such as Hooke and Newton play key roles along with the "gentlemen" members of the Royal Society. They eventually became such a part of popular culture that their eccentricities were mocked in plays of the day. This led to a decrease in their position of the day and an ebb in science. But the ground was already set for a continued progress in science.

The book is filled with interesting stories and tries to tie everything together into a distinct narrative. However, it is too dense. There are so many details that the overall narrative gets lost. It just calls out for a quick skimming with a focus on interesting parts. It does reference many works of the day. I took note of many of the proto-science fiction works from the 1600s. These did seem like they would be interesting to read. The plays starizing the royal society also seemed like good items to put on the reading list. 

The author attempts to provide a balanced approach that puts the key players in their day. Magic and science were intertwined in the minds of early scientists. Some of the early scientific treatises would have magical formulae together with "scientific" treatments..  Isaac Newton believed in alchemy. It was a common practice of the day. His scientific insights did not lead him to shum it. Galileo got in trouble not so much for astronomical insights, but for trying to interpret the bible to justify his observations. Science was and continues to be a social construct. It has never been fully objective. Scientists rarely go about collecting data while keeping their hypothesis at arm's length. The data collection is influence by the hypothesis. Accepted science may change. Other factors may cause science to be rejected. Curiosity and willingness to change remains important in science.