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'Wallace was an outsider, so it's no wonder we don't remember him as a great scientist. He didn't limit his research to proper scientific subjects.' Respond to these assertions in an essay of 1200 words, drawing on your study of the History of Science d
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Scientific advances are the product of human endeavours through time. Science has a history that can be plotted back to a time before the terminology 'scientist' was coined by William Whewell, and although there are numerous 'scientific' discoveries which precede it, the 19th century with its emphasis on technology and industrial growth saw a great push in the field of science. The political and economic situation, combined with an increasing interest in, and knowledge of the natural world, to create a climate in which scientific discoveries could be made and great scientists recognised. The history of science can provide an insight into why Wallace, despite his in depth work on the laws of nature, and natural selection (which rivalled that of Darwin) is thought of as an outsider rather than a great scientist. The history of science has until recently been based on a two-track model involving the principles of 'naturalism' and 'symmetry'. 'Naturalism', relates to science as a natural human creation driven by the pursuit of truth, with all things supernatural ruled out. With 'naturalism' everything that happens must have an understandable cause based on empirical evidence and which obeys physical laws and causality. Within the 'symmetry' principle, science is judged as either right or wrong, and creates heros and villians rather than players and relegates certain scientific knowledge as invalid. This picking and choosing however depends on knowing what counts as science. Was Wallace’s ‘science’ classified as invalid by the established scientific bodies and his work consequently destined for obscurity? There is primary evidence available in historical writings to suggest that Wallace’s reputation suffered through internalist views which upheld the two-track model described above. The British Association was the established and consequently authoritative body of scientific study, an association founded by Oxbridge Dons and backed by rich and respectable members of society. This association was keen to direct funding into safe and appropriate works and sought to reinforce established boundaries by marking those that went outside of them as 'radicals' or 'crackpots'. For 19th century researchers these restrictions included subjects such as evolution and the origin of the universe by the Church who saw these as belonging to the spiritual rather that scientific domain, a restriction which was reinforced by British Association of Science.
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