Key Terms You Must Know

📖 Key Terms You Must Know

Royal Society

The world's oldest scientific academy still in existence, founded in 1660 by a group of natural philosophers meeting at Gresham College, London. Charles II granted it a royal charter in 1662. Its motto — "Nullius in verba" ("take nobody's word for it") — expressed its core commitment to experimental evidence over ancient authority. It published the world's first scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions, from 1665. Members included Newton, Hooke, Boyle, Wren, and Halley. It is still the UK's leading scientific institution today.

Experimental method

The approach to knowledge adopted by the Royal Society — making observations, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, recording results, and sharing findings so others can test them. This was revolutionary because it rejected reliance on ancient authorities (Aristotle, Galen) and insisted that claims about nature must be tested by direct evidence. The experimental method is the foundation of modern science. The Royal Society's adoption of it in the 1660s was one of the most significant intellectual developments in English history.

Philosophical Transactions (1665)

The world's first scientific journal, published by the Royal Society from 1665. It allowed scientists to share discoveries with each other rapidly and internationally, building a community of knowledge rather than hoarding findings. It created the principle that scientific discoveries should be public and verifiable, not secret. It is still published today — making it the longest-running scientific journal in history.

"Nullius in verba"

The motto of the Royal Society, meaning "take nobody's word for it." It expressed the Society's rejection of argument from authority — the belief that something is true because Aristotle or Galen said so — in favour of experimental verification. If you cannot test it, you cannot claim to know it. This motto captures the entire philosophical revolution the Society represented.

Principia Mathematica (1687)

Isaac Newton's masterwork, full title Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"). Published in 1687, it set out Newton's three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation, providing a mathematical framework for understanding the physical universe. Edmund Halley personally funded its publication. It is widely considered the most important scientific book ever written. Newton developed many of its ideas during his "annus mirabilis" (miracle year) of 1665-66 when he retreated from Cambridge to escape the plague.

Micrographia (1665)

Robert Hooke's book of microscopic observations, published in 1665. It contained the first descriptions and detailed illustrations of cells (Hooke coined the word "cell" to describe the tiny chambers he saw in cork), insects, plants, and other microscopic structures. It was an immediate bestseller and is considered one of the first popular science books. Samuel Pepys stayed up until 2am reading it, calling it "the most ingenious book that I ever read in my life."