Theorists and Ingenious Mechanics: Joseph Henry Defines Science

Abstract

A familiar historical exercise is to compare the words of an individual or a group with what was, 'in fact', the true state of affairs. Secondary texts are placed in juxtaposition with historical evidence; comparisons are made; and conclusions are drawn. Literature exists in which the assertions of many past scientists are confronted by a counter-assertion of many present historians. The former affirn that 'science' did indeed make many past contributions to the amelioration of man's lot; the latter conclude that, 'in fact', the statements of the scientists are not strictly speaking true until the* latter decades of the last century or I850, always granting, perhaps, a few minor exceptions. Rather than crediting science or scientists, many historians of science, of technology, and of economics ascribe most past technological advances (i.e., pre-I850 or pre-i 88o) to the labours of practical men-artisans and entrepreneurs-often unknown to history.' A counter-chorus of other historians, technologists, and social scientists minimizes the impact of basic science on economic growth today as well as in the past, also citing historical truth.2 Somewhere in between are the

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