Overview

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the pursuit of scientific knowledge was becoming a full-time occupation for some. As knowledge in many areas increased, early scientists began to specialize, and natural philosophy began to fragment into various scientific disciplines. Among the first sciences to which this happened were geology and chemistry, two studies with a surprising amount of common ground. This increasing specialization allowed individuals to devote themselves to a particular area of study, thus making more significant progress by focusing their efforts, and has resulted in today's plethora of scientific disciplines.

Background

Science, as such, is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. In spite of the advances of the ancient Greeks, Sumerians, Maya, and others, the hallmarks of science were largely absent until the Renaissance. Even then, though, science was descriptive, consisting...