政治與文化：歐洲的經驗 Politics and Culture: European Experience
十七世紀英國科學文化的興起
Experimental Knowledge at the Royal Society in Restoration England
講者：李士橋
Speaker: Li Shiqiao

The Royal Society received its royal patronage in 1662; previously it was a "Philosophical Society"” located at Wadham College, Oxford, led by the Warden of the College John Wilkins. The aim of the Royal Society was to promote "experimental knowledge" as an alternative to the teaching of Aristotelian scholasticism prevalent in the Universities. Through its commitment to Francis Bacon's principles for the "advancement of knowledge" and an active programme of experiments, the Royal Society played a key role in shaping the concept of modern science. This talk will discuss both the emergence of the "scientific culture" as an aspect of the English empiricist intellectual tradition, as well as a range of experiments, publications, and architectural designs by the members of the Royal Society which demonstrated the importance of the credibility of the "scientific fact" – one of the hallmarks of modern knowledge.