Parson-naturalists were
ministers of religion
In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...
who also studied
natural history. The archetypical
parson-naturalist
A parson-naturalist was a cleric (a "parson", strictly defined as a country priest who held the living of a parish, but the term is generally extended to other clergy), who often saw the study of natural science as an extension of his religious wor ...
was a
priest in the Church of England in charge of a country parish, who saw the study of science as an
extension of his religious work. The philosophy entailed the belief that God, as the Creator of all things, wanted man to understand his Creations and thus to study them through
scientific techniques.
[Armstrong, 2000.] They often collected and preserved natural artefacts such as leaves, flowers, birds' eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals to classify and study. Some wrote books or kept nature diaries.
Parson-naturalists
See also
*
List of Christian thinkers in science
This is a list of Christians in Science and Technology. People
in this list should have their Christianity as relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly identified themselves as Christians or as of a Christian deno ...
*
Science in the Age of Enlightenment
References
Bibliography
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Parson-naturalists
Natural history
Christian priests
Parson-naturalists
{{Natural history