JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Author Information
SUN Lu
Information
Research Articles
-
The Decline of Science in Britain: Crisis and Reform of British Science and Technology System in the Nineteenth Century Abstract: The idea of the “decline of science in England” was proposed in the 1930s by Charles Babbage in his book Reflections on the Decline of Science in England. From a perspective of the history of science and technology system, this article argues that the main factors hindering the development of science in Britain were the mechanism of private patronage and the resulting amateurism in scientific practice. Babbage implied that the situation of science in Britain could be changed essentially only by transforming private patronage into government sponsorship. He offered some advice for reform, in the areas of research funding, the organization, and the administration of scientific work. To some extent, these suggestions promoted the processes of government support for science, fostered the training of scientific personnel and the formation of professional research teams, and facilitated the founding of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the reform of the Royal Society of London. Key Words: Charles Babbage; Nineteenth century; British science; Science and technology system; PatronageIssue:Volume 47, lssue 11, November 2025Page: 1-9
JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
- Contact Us
- Address: No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Phone: +86-10-88256007
- Email:jdn@ucas.ac.cn
Follow Us
© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
