page_title: Scientist
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Scientist / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Niels Bohr, physicist.
context_page_description: A scientist is someone who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of interest.
  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. 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.
  In modern times, many scientists have advanced degrees in an area of science and pursue careers in various sectors of the economy such as academia, industry, government, and nonprofit environments.
context_section_description: The roles of "scientists", and their predecessors before the emergence of modern scientific disciplines, have evolved considerably over time.  Scientists of different eras (and before them, natural philosophers, mathematicians, natural historians, natural theologians, engineers, and others who contributed to the development of science) have had widely different places in society, and the social norms, ethical values, and epistemic virtues associated with scientists—and expected of them—have changed over time as well. Accordingly, many different historical figures can be identified as early scientists, depending on which characteristics of modern science are taken to be essential.
  Some historians point to the Scientific Revolution that began in 16th century as the period when science in a recognizably modern form developed. It wasn't until the 19th century that sufficient socioeconomic changes occurred for scientists to emerge as a major profession.
caption: Atomic physicist Niels Bohr made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory.
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