Nature (journal)
Nature is one of the two most influential journals in the scientific world. According to E.J. Larson it was founded in 1869 by members of so called X-Club as the mouthpiece of scientific naturalism with goal to unabashedly promote Darwinism and influence the editorial polices in that respect.[1] The first Nature article was written by T. H. Huxley on the supposed role of nature in the development of human beings. Astrophysicist Norman Lockyer was the first editor of Nature and remained in this position for 50 years.[2] Later among editors was also well known scientist Sir John Maddox who according to John C. Lennox found the idea of beginning [of our world] repugnant.[3]
In 1878 the journal published the article on the ' Discovery of Vulcan ', a non-existent hypothetical planet that was believed by naturalist scientits to must exist due to the shift in the perihelion of planet Mercury.[4]
References
- ↑ Peter J. Bowler (1989). Evolution: The History of an Idea. Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press, 432. ISBN 0-8129-6849-2. “The end result was much the same in Britain. There, Darwin, Huxley, and their allies effectively collaborated to take over the scientific establishment, with the goal of enthroning naturalism as the ideology of science and science as the mainspring of modern society. At first they consciously sought to minimize open scientific debate over Darwinism while systematically advancing interests of biologists who utilized an evolutionary approach. Working through an intimate group of like-minded intellectuals known as the X Club, Huxley and his friends managed to assume leadership roles in many of Britain's leading scientific societies, place supporters in prominent university and museum positions, and influence the editorial polices of scientific journals. In 1869, they founded the journal Nature as the mouthpiece of scientific naturalism, and unabashedly promoted Darwinism in its pages. ..."So successful was this takeover of the British scientific community," historian Peter Bowler says about the X-Club putsch, "that by the 1880s its remaining opponents were claiming that Darwinism had become a blindly accepted dogma carefully shielded from any serious challenge."”
- ↑ History:Timelines:The first 100 years (1869-1969). Nature Publishing Group. “Astrophysicist Norman Lockyer and Thomas Henry Huxley encourage Alexander Macmillan to publish "a general scientific journal". Consequently, the House of Macmillan launches Nature, a weekly illustrated journal of science. The journal's original mission statement to this day remains unchanged. Norman Lockyer becomes the first editor of Nature, and remains in this position for 50 years. ...After Darwin's "Origin of Species" is published in 1859, Huxley does more than anyone to promote its theories. As well as being instrumental in the conception of Nature, Huxley writes the first Nature article, on the role of nature in the development of human beings.”
- ↑ John C. Lennox (2009). God's undertaker. Has science buried God?. Oxford, England: Lion Hudson, 68. ISBN 978-0-7459-5371-7. “Another well known scientist who found the idea of a beginning repugnant is Sir John Maddox, a former editor of Nature. He pronounced the idea of a beginning 'thoroughly unacceptable', because it implied an 'ultimate origin of the world', and gave creationist 'ample justification' for their beliefs.”
- ↑ Lewis Swift (19 September 1878). Discovery of Vulcan. journal Nature. DOI:10.1038/018539a0. “By three careful estimates the two stars pointed exactly to the sun's centre. When it is considered that a deviation of not over 15", in two objects so close, will cause them to point considerably to one side of the centre of the sun-three degrees away-it maybe assumed that its declination was quite correctly estimated.”
