In this episode of Math! Science! History!, Gabrielle explores the unexpected origin story of the word scientist. It all started with Mary Somerville’s 1834 book On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences, which sparked a humorous yet historic review by William Whewell. From ridicule to resistance, the term evolved amid fierce linguistic debate, public mockery, and eventual global adoption. Discover how one word came to define a profession, and why that battle still matters today.

Key topics:

• The origin of the word "scientist," and why it was initially mocked by 19th-century intellectuals.
• How Mary Somerville’s work unified the physical sciences and inspired a linguistic revolution.
• Why scientists still face resistance, and why naming, truth, and peer-reviewed research matter more than ever.

Primary Resources & Recommended Reading:

Ross, Sydney. “Scientist: The Story of a Word.” Annals of Science, Vol. 18, No. 2, June 1964.

Mary Somerville, On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences (1834). On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences by Mary Somerville | Project Gutenberg

William Whewell, The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences (1840)

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