Sir Richard Gregory

After research at Cambridge University, Richard Gregory became professor of bionics at Edinburgh University. He later directed the Brain and Perception Laboratory at Bristol's Medical School, where he established the Exploratory Science Centre and is now an emeritus professor. His interests are the experimental study of human visual perception, with special reference to such phenomena as illusions for investigation of brain strategies.

The Lancet

See <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.2017.0034">https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.2017.0034</a> detailing his perception work etc.

Also

"Another influential figure in the science movement, one who perhaps

more than most contributed to the diffusion of science within the education

system specifically and culture generally, was Sir Richard Gregory

(Armytage, 1957). Richard Gregory strove throughout his lifetime to

evolve a mantle for science which he believed would influence the 'affairs

of men' within every sphere of intellectual and social endeavour.

I shall now consider briefly, the role of Sir Richard Gregory in the

inter -war science movement, restricting my examination to his association

with other influentials within the movement and the consequences this

had for the social sciences, up.ro and during the Second World War.

W.H. Armytage's book (Armytage, 1957), is a rich source of material

on the life and works of Richard Gregory, especially his influence

within the science movement. In particular, Armytage's work is important

to my concern in highlighting several of the themes which coalesced

to give the movement its cultural dimensions and impetus. In the main,

those who extolled the virtues of the movement rarely referred to the

substantive issues of science itself (its theoretical and methodological

components). Instead, the credibility and 'power' of science was sustained

through the public management of appropriate images and accompanying

discourse.

Armytage's assessment of the social standing of Sir Richard Gregory

after his Knighthood in 1919, gives an indication of the significance

of 'informal networks' and the importance of frequenting institutions

wherein the right connections could be made, (Armytage, 1957, p.85):..

While it would be rash to argue that the development of science in

Britain stemmed from the discussions of those who frequented the Athenaeum,

it is worth remembering that the function of informal networks, as

a means of influencing opinion, is important in any estimation of the

institutional structure of British science during the inter-war period.

In a prestigious institution such as the Athenaeum, there could be found influential scientists among His Majesty's Cabinet at play.

The contacts made there could have as King (1974) has suggested, influenced

the professional and organisational bases of British science. As King

has said of the period (King, 1974, p.ll):

"Up to the Second World War, the size of the British science

system was small enough for internal adjustments and policy

direction to be in the hands of a few outstanding personalities

belonging to the same coterie. Coherence and mutual understanding

were probably achieved rather effectively, if utterly informally,

through frequent, easy, but often unplanned contacts between

the leading figures of the Royal Society, the research council

secretaries, and senior civil servants, all of whom were

habitues of the Athenaeum Club."

Sir Richard Gregory (Armytage, 195 7) made strenuous efforts to publicise

the value and importance of the 'scientific spirit' (1957, p.69):

"We seek to justify the claim of science to be an enabling

influence as well as a creator of riches For science

is not to be measured by practical service alone, though

it may contribute to material prosperity: it is an intellectual

outlook, a standard of truth and a gospel of light."

It is tempting, with hindsight, to consign such a conception of science,

especially the manner in which Grejory portrayed it, to the category

of absurd novelties. However, the notion of the 'spirit of science'

was, perhaps, a sentiment easier to harbour and express publicly before

the outbreak of a World War and the subsequent role of science in

its conduct. A diminution in the spirit of science would be more than

compensated for by the kindling of faith in post-war technology. Gregory's

quasi -religious portrayal of the spirit of science is somewhat reminiscent of the Saint-Simonian enthusiasm for 'the religion of Newton'

(Hawthorn, 1976, p. 69) and the subsequent reverential status accorded

the new positive philosophy. While Gregory and his supporters may

not have intended to create a new hagiocracy of science, considerable

effort was expended in elevating the status of the scientist in society.

It should be remembered that the science movement and its supporters

while espousing the virtues of the ethos and authority of science within

the public realm, sought also to establish science within a domain likely to guarantee its permanent cultural presence; the national curriulum. The latter aspect of the science movement relates to my consideration

of one of its general themes: the special status of its knowledge via

the operation of an exclusive methodology. Gregory and his associates

managed to alter significantly the composition of the curriculum at

various levels within the education system through the activities

of two corporate bodies; 'The Humanist Council' and the 'Neglect of

Science Committee' (Armytage, 1957, pp.70-74). The former comprised

teachers and advocates of the 'humanistic studies' and other 'traditional

subjects', the latter, individuals from a host of intellectual fields,

committed to the installation and development of the teaching of natural

science within the curriculum.* As early as 1907, Gregory had been

campaigning publicly for the recognition of science. He strove to

emphasise the role of scientists and their special knowledge

foundation of a democratic order (The Times, December 31, 1907):

"It should be the object of scientific men to promote the

extension of scientific knowledge over as wide an area as

possible so that the scientific method and the scientific

spirit should be known to all who are prepared to read or

listen."

Gregory's influential position as editor of the journal Nature, provided

the science movement with an invaluable public platform.

Although the 'Neglect of Science Committee' endeavoured to introduce

the teaching of natural science within the school curriculum on a par

with more traditional subjects, it supported generally, the aims and

objectives of a curriculum designed to provide 'technical preparation'

for adolescents who would eventually enter the 'professions or other

technical occupations'. Furthermore, the Committee advocated a change

in the school curriculum which would allow for an easier transition

to further and higher education, again within the fields of scientific

and technical subjects. A concerted effort was made to reform education It is worth noting that among the many achievements of Sir Richard

Gregory was his prolific production of textbooks on science, of both a

specific and general nature; over two hundred up to his death in 1952.

167

within and across the curriculum and at every level within the system.

Gregory and his associates made special efforts to introduce changes

within the university curriculum, a programme that began as a result

of the First World war and the emergence of the 'Haldane Principle'.

Coupled to his adventures within the education system, Gregory, through

the offices of the British Association, continued to exploit every

available opportunity which allowed him access to what he considered

to be his most important audience - the general public. His very close

friendship with H.G. Wells, whose works of science-fiction Gregory

thought an admirable medium for cultivating the scientific imagination

of the populace, provided him with an association that would have consequences for Gregory's later enthusiasm with the scientific study of

society. Gregory regarded his responsibility toward the public and

its enlightenment through a knowledge of science as of primary importance.

He regarded the act of lecturing, be it in public, or in a more formal

institutional setting, as an essential vehicle for engendering an interest

in his cause. There is an interesting parallel between his appreciation

of the lecture and its relevance to the period of reconstruction following

the First world war and the circumstan.ces surrounding the use of the

same medium during the Second World War under the auspices of the

Army Bureau of Current Affairs. In both cases, an attempt was made

to engage the audience in contemplating the importance of enlightened

citizenship in a post-war world. Moreover, the role of science and

social reconstruction were themes common to the issues raised during

the course of his post world war One lectures and courses (British

Association, 1916):

"After the war (the First World war) there will be a new

public for lectures and courses on a wide range of subjects:

but one of the main purposes of the lectures should be to

show as many people as possible that they are personally

concerned as citizens with their position in the state, in

industry, and in education."

Bearing in mind what I have said previously about the general themes

associated with the science movement, it is possible to detect the

gradual attempt by Gregory and his supporters, to carry their programme

for science into other domains within the national culture. In doing

so, a greater emphasis was placed upon the strategic importance of

the project to convert those individuals and their environments toward

a more accommodating approach to the importance of science. Gregory

was well aware of the fact that scientific knowledge itself could not

alter effectively the status quo (Armytage, 1957, p.Bl):

"Science needs champions and advocates, in addition to actual

makers of new knowledge and exponents of it."

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6869/c74123aac3a813cf641f90697cae77735fcc.pdf

<a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6869/c74123aac3a813cf641f90697cae77735fcc.pdf">https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6869/c74123aac3a813cf641f90697cae77735fcc.pdf</a>