The iDeal Reader Jacob Bronowski,"The ©The McGraw-Hil Nature of Scientific Companies,2000 Reasoning" acob Bronowski (1908-1974),a Polish-born intellectual,was trained as a mathemati- cian but eventually studied and wrote on the sciences,technology,poetry,the relation between creativity in the arts and the sciences,and man's attempts to control nature throughout history. A mathematician,a literary critic,a playwright,a scientist,and an acclaimed Renaissance man, Bronowski earned an M.A.degree at Jesus College,Cambridge,England,in 1930,and a Ph.D.in 1933.His extremely wide-ranging career includes lecturing at University College in England;serv. ing as wartime researcher for the British Ministry of Home Security during World War Il,when he studied the effects of the atomic bomb;and working at multiple posts at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego and posts at Oxford University,Massachusetts Institute of Technology,the University of Rochester,Oregon State University,Yale University,Columbia University,and the National Gallery of Art;and serving as head of projects for the United Nations Educational,Scientific,and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). Bronowski also worked as a British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC)commentator on atomic energy and other scientific and cultural subjects. Bronowski came to the United States in 1964.He wrote that,after 1932,he realized it was not enough to work at a desk,was more important and what was defending human decency.It was then that Bronowski turned his attention to studying connections between art and science. Among his writings are The Poet's Defence(1939;retitled and reprinted,1966);a study of William Blake (1943;retitled and reprinted,1965);Science and Human Values (1965;rev.ed.,1972),his most acclaimed work;and The Ascent of Man (1973),essays based on a BBC television series,his most popular work.Bronowski believed that the progress of science could best be understood by recognizing the interdependence of the sciences,arts,literature,and philosophy.He emphasized the universality of human nature and the need to control violence in modern society. The Nature of Scientific Reasoning Ja Bronowski What is the insight in which the scientist tries to see into nature?Can it indeed be 1 called either imaginative or creative?To the literary man the question may seem merely silly.He has been taught that science is a large collection of facts;and if this is true,then the only seeing which scientists need to do is,he supposes,seeing the facts.He pictures them,the colorless professionals of science,going off to work in the morning into the universe in a neutral,unexposed state.They then expose themselves like a photographic plate.And then in the darkroom or laboratory they develop the image,so that suddenly and startlingly it appears,printed in capital letters,as a new formula for atomic energy. Men who have read Balzac and Zola are not deceived by the claims of these 2 writers that they do no more than record the facts.The readers of Christopher Isherwood do not take him literally when he writes "I am a camera."Yet the same readers solemnly carry with them from their schooldays this foolish picture of the scientist fixing by some mechanical process the facts of nature.I have had of all peo- ple a historian tell me that science is a collection of facts,and his voice had not even the ironic rasp of one filing cabinet reproving another. Copyight1956 by Joob Bronowski.Copyright renewed 1984 by Rita Bronowski.Reprinted by permission of Simon Schuster,ncThe iDeal Reader Jacob Bronowski, ‘‘The Nature of Scientific Reasoning’’ © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2000 J acob Bronowski (1908–1974), a Polish-born intellectual, was trained as a mathemati￾cian but eventually studied and wrote on the sciences, technology, poetry, the relation between creativity in the arts and the sciences, and man’s attempts to control nature throughout history. A mathematician, a literary critic, a playwright, a scientist, and an acclaimed Renaissance man, Bronowski earned an M.A. degree at Jesus College, Cambridge, England, in 1930, and a Ph.D. in 1933. His extremely wide-ranging career includes lecturing at University College in England; serv￾ing as wartime researcher for the British Ministry of Home Security during World War II, when he studied the effects of the atomic bomb; and working at multiple posts at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego and posts at Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Rochester, Oregon State University, Yale University, Columbia University, and the National Gallery of Art; and serving as head of projects for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Bronowski also worked as a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) commentator on atomic energy and other scientific and cultural subjects. Bronowski came to the United States in 1964. He wrote that, after 1932, he realized it was not enough to work at a desk, was more important and what was defending human decency. It was then that Bronowski turned his attention to studying connections between art and science. Among his writings are The Poet’s Defence (1939; retitled and reprinted, 1966); a study of William Blake (1943; retitled and reprinted, 1965); Science and Human Values (1965; rev. ed., 1972), his most acclaimed work; and The Ascent of Man (1973), essays based on a BBC television series, his most popular work. Bronowski believed that the progress of science could best be understood by recognizing the interdependence of the sciences, arts, literature, and philosophy. He emphasized the universality of human nature and the need to control violence in modern society. R 1 2 The Nature of Scientific Reasoning Jacob Bronowski What is the insight in which the scientist tries to see into nature? Can it indeed be called either imaginative or creative? To the literary man the question may seem merely silly. He has been taught that science is a large collection of facts; and if this is true, then the only seeing which scientists need to do is, he supposes, seeing the facts. He pictures them, the colorless professionals of science, going off to work in the morning into the universe in a neutral, unexposed state. They then expose themselves like a photographic plate. And then in the darkroom or laboratory they develop the image, so that suddenly and startlingly it appears, printed in capital letters, as a new formula for atomic energy. Men who have read Balzac and Zola are not deceived by the claims of these writers that they do no more than record the facts. The readers of Christopher Isherwood do not take him literally when he writes “I am a camera.” Yet the same readers solemnly carry with them from their schooldays this foolish picture of the scientist fixing by some mechanical process the facts of nature. I have had of all peo￾ple a historian tell me that science is a collection of facts, and his voice had not even the ironic rasp of one filing cabinet reproving another. Copyright © 1956 by Jacob Bronowski. Copyright renewed 1984 by Rita Bronowski. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc