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Hello the natural philosopher Francis Bacon heralded the New Age of

science the frontispiece of his 1620 edition of the

Instoratio Magna depicted a galleon traveling between the metaphorical pillars of

Hercules, thought to lie in the Strait of Gibraltar and believe to mark the end of the known world.

The image encapsulated Bacon's desire to sail beyond the limits set by Aristotle and the

curriculum of the ancient universities towards the new continent of science.

Bacon imagined practical scientists engaged in a collaborative effort to expand knowledge of the natural world.

But it wasn't until the turbulence of the Civil War and Commonwealth years had

passed that such a group of scientists would gather together in London for this purpose and

form what became the Royal Society. Among its early members were Robert Boyle, Robert Hook, Christopher Wren, and Isaac Newton,

who rejected dogma and insisted on practical experimentation and observation.

How was the Royal Society formed against a backdrop of religious and political strife?

What was it about this group of men that worked, what was it about the way these group of men

...