The word "scientist" was introduced into English in 1834. At the time, Cambridge University historian and philosopher William Wewell coined the term to describe someone who studies the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation. It could therefore be argued that the first modern scientists were figures like Charles in his Darwin and Michael in his Faraday, two iconic figures who happened to be contemporary with Whewell. But even if the term didn't exist before the 1830s, there were people who embodied its principles.
To find the first scientist, we have to go further back in time. It can be traced back to the earliest days of the ancient Greeks, dating back to Thales of Miletus, who lived from about 624 BC. By many accounts until about 545 BC Thales accomplished much in both science and mathematics, but he left no written record and, like Homer, may never have existed. He may have been a famous person recognized for his many great achievements.
You can also think of other ancient Greeks such as Euclid (the father of geometry) and Ptolemy (the misguided astronomer who put the Earth at the center of the universe). But all these men were great thinkers, but they relied on making arguments rather than conducting experiments to prove or disprove their hypotheses.
Some scholars believe that modern science originated in a formidable class of Arab mathematicians and philosophers working in the Middle East decades before the European Renaissance began. This group included Al Khuwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Al Bilni and Ibn Al Haytham. In fact, many experts credit Ibn al-Haytham, who lived in modern-day Iraq between 965 and 1039 AD, as the first scientist. He invented the pinhole his camera, discovered the laws of refraction, and studied many natural phenomena such as rainbows and solar eclipses. However, it remains unclear whether his scientific methods are truly modern, or closer to those of Ptolemy and his Greek predecessors. It is also not clear whether he broke away from the mysticism that was still prevalent at the time.
It is almost impossible to determine when the influence of mysticism has completely faded among scientists. Easy to identify is a characteristic of modern scientists. According to author Brian Clegg, modern scientists must recognize the importance of experimentation, embrace mathematics as a fundamental tool, consider information without prejudice, and understand the need to communicate. In other words, he or she must be free from religious dogma and be willing to observe, react and think objectively. Apparently, many people who worked on science in the 17th century - Christian Huygens, Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton - met most of these requirements. But to find the first scientists with these qualities, we have to go back to the Renaissance of the mid-16th century. I'll go there next. When you mention Renaissance science, you probably think of Galileo Galilei. He overturned Aristotle's ideas of motion and began to explain complex concepts such as force, inertia and acceleration. He built his one of the first telescopes and used it to study the universe. What he saw through the device's lens removed the Earth from the center of the universe and placed it in its proper place. Galileo emphasized the need for observation and experimentation in all his works. Still, Galileo owes another influential character born 20 years ago.
His name is William Gilbert and he is a rather obscure figure in the history of science. With Galileo, Gilbert, after his first decade of the 17th century was over, was busy practicing the scientific method in his work and setting an example for his peers.This is what John Gribbin has. It is
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