The quartet of David Clayton, Fr Brad Elliot OP, Dr. Michel Accad, and Charlie Deist discuss an essay by Ivan Illich (d. 2002) called Research by People, on the place of scientific research in the modern world. It is taken from a collection called Shadow Work. He describes the ideas of Hugh of St Victor in 11th century Paris who proposed that the purpose of scientific research was to aid mankind in contributing to the redemption of the natural world. This is to be contrasted with both the Baconian view of science, which seeks to use to dominate and exploit nature and of contemporary environmentalists, who propose that man should not attempt to change nature at all.
Hugh of St Victor was the teacher of Albert the Great who, in turn, was the teacher of St Thomas Aquinas.
The four of us have decided that going forward we will also post this on a separate channel called God, Man, and Markets.
