Scientist

This article is about the profession. For other uses, see Scientist (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Scientologist.
Scientist
Pierre Curie and Marie Curie demonstrating an apparatus that detects radioactivity. They received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for their scientific research; Marie also received the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Occupation
NamesScientist
Occupation type
Profession
Activity sectors
Laboratory, field research
Description
CompetenciesScientific research
Education required
Science
Fields of
employment
Academia, industry, government, nonprofit
Related jobs
Engineers
Part of a series on
Science
Galileo demonstrating his telescope to the Doge of Venice.
Branches
In society

A scientist is a person who researches to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.[1][2][3][4]

In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophical study of nature called natural philosophy, a precursor of natural science.[5] Though Thales (c. 624–545 BC) was arguably the first scientist for describing how cosmic events may be seen as natural, not necessarily caused by gods,[6][7][8][9][10][11] it was not until the 19th century that the term scientist came into regular use after it was coined by the theologian, philosopher, and historian of science William Whewell in 1833.[12][13]

  1. ^ "scientist". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ "science". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Eusocial climbers" (PDF). E.O. Wilson Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2018. But he's not a scientist, he's never done scientific research. My definition of a scientist is that you can complete the following sentence: 'he or she has shown that...'," Wilson says.
  4. ^ "Our definition of a scientist". Science Council. Retrieved 7 September 2018. A scientist is someone who systematically gathers and uses research and evidence, making a hypothesis and testing it, to gain and share understanding and knowledge.
  5. ^ Lehoux, Daryn (2011). "2. Natural Knowledge in the Classical World". In Shank, Michael; Numbers, Ronald; Harrison, Peter (eds.). Wrestling with Nature : From Omens to Science. Chicago: University of Chicago, U.S.A. Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0226317830.
  6. ^ Aristotle, Metaphysics Alpha, 983b18.
  7. ^ Public Domain Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Thales". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. p. 1016.
  8. ^ Michael Fowler, Early Greek Science: Thales to Plato, University of Virginia [Retrieved 2016-06-16]
  9. ^ Frank N. Magill, The Ancient World: Dictionary of World Biography, Volume 1, Routledge, 2003 ISBN 1135457395
  10. ^ Singer, C. (2008). A Short History of Science to the 19th century. Streeter Press. p. 35.
  11. ^ Needham, C. W. (1978). Cerebral Logic: Solving the Problem of Mind and Brain. Loose Leaf. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-398-03754-3.
  12. ^ Cahan, David, ed. (2003). From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences: Writing the History of Nineteenth-Century Science. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-08928-2.
  13. ^ Lightman, Bernard (2011). "Science and the Public". In Shank, Michael; Numbers, Ronald; Harrison, Peter (eds.). Wrestling with Nature : From Omens to Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 367. ISBN 978-0226317830.