Robert Boyle Contribution

Robert Boyle, a seventeenth-century Anglo-Irish scholar and one of the most well-known scientists in history, was instrumental in the establishment of the natural sciences as concrete fields of inquiry rather than simply philosophical studies. His emphasis on the scientific method set a precedent that has allowed thousands of later discoveries to be scientifically tested and confirmed, allowing the human knowledge base to be greatly expanded. In addition to all of this, his work with gases and pressure was revolutionary in the scientific world, and has led to many other discoveries as time has passed. With all of the contributions that Boyle made to the world of scientific study, there are many who would claim that he is one of the greatest …show more content…
By this time, the nations of England, Ireland, and Scotland were all involved in the First English Civil War, and it was becoming increasingly dangerous to publicly hold positions about religion, scientific knowledge, or anything that could be seen as controversial to either side of the war (“English Civil Wars”). In addition, due to extremely high levels of superstition across the country, it was extremely dangerous to be involved with science, as science was seen by some people as “magic” or “witchcraft”, even if it was done it glorify God, as in the manner in which Robert Boyle did it (“Robert Boyle”). However, after the wars were over and England was finally at peace, it was safer for scientists like Robert Boyle to step into the public eye and conduct scientific work. Out of all of Boyle’s discoveries that he was able to make public after the wars were over, some of the most influential were Boyle’s Gas Law, the properties of a vacuum, and the development of the concept of a scientific method (“Robert Boyle”). Boyle’s Law was very influential in the scientific world because it showed that all gases had definable properties, such as a predictable relationship between pressure put on it and its volume, even though they couldn’t usually be seen. This inspired a renewed interest in the scientific community for the study of things that couldn’t be …show more content…
He accomplished this through works such as The Christian Virtuoso, which argued that there was no separation or disharmony at all between the exploration of the natural world and faith in God, and that they were, in fact, harmonious by nature. In addition, through his will, he funded the establishment of the famous Boyle lectures that defend the Christian faith to all manners of non-Christian people and scientists, and which continue to this day (“Boyle, Robert”). As far as his lasting impact on the Christian world in particular, he was passionate about seeing the word of God spread all throughout the world, and helped to see it accomplished by funding the translation of the gospels into several languages, including Welsh, Irish (Gaelic), Turkish, and Malayan, and he also supported John Eliot’ translation of the Bible into the Algonquin language (“The Heart of a Great Scientist”). He also wrote many theological books about morality and Christianity’s relation to science. In the realm of science, his discoveries about gas laws and properties of vacuums have paved the way for countless other developments and technologies, such as space technology, submarines, and hot air balloons. As stated before, his contributions to the scientific method have proven invaluable over the centuries, and without them, it might have been a long