Are experiments good science?
17th Century Debate about Science Strange as it sounds to modern ears, the validity of experiments and the nascent scientific method were a matter for intense debate in the Seventeenth Century. Many of the great natural philosophers of the era rejected experimental proofs, believing that truth was to be found through logic and reason only. A Rich Source of Drama The debate struck Professor Janet Sonenberg as a rich source of dramatic material—particularly since the rise of experimental science coincided with the “time of silence” in England, the period when the theaters were closed by Puritan rulers. Sonenberg conjectured that with the theaters closed, public experiments filled an entertainment gap. Natural Philosophy meets Theater The idea for a play, she said, “came from years of teaching at this School, and thinking about the performative nature of experiments, as well as the contentious and theatrical nature of scientific debate.” Sonenberg teamed up with Literature Professor Diana
