Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 655 564 A Whole New French Scientific Community

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"You have made too many sacrifices for France!"

Moved to confusion, Director Le Roy acknowledged that, had he been the one awarded, he certainly wouldn't have given it up easily. Yet, His Highness the Crown Prince had graciously offered it to another, merely based on the reputation of the Supreme Louis Award.

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He remarked, "In fact, several judges and I believe that even the literature prize should have been awarded to you. I've read your 'The Master of Besties' and the intriguing plot made it so that I could not even taste my food."

Although those novels bore the name of a "bestseller," over time, people had come to know that they were in fact works of His Highness the Crown Prince.

Joseph felt even more embarrassed; it was an outright plagiarism, truly shameful...

He hastily changed the subject, "Ahem, Director Le Roy, how is the reorganization of the French Academy of Sciences progressing?"

"Oh, quite smoothly, Your Highness," Le Roy quickly responded. "Currently, new departments such as Mathematics, Geometry, Mechanics, Astronomy, Optics, Agriculture, and Chemistry have already begun operations.

"The newer departments, such as Thermodynamics, Surgical Medicine, are still in preparation.

"And the departments you requested, such as Geology, Electrics, are still lacking enough scholars and might take some more time..."

What he mentioned may seem ordinary to future generations, but at present, it represented a significant advancement in the field of scientific management.

Previously, both the French Academy of Sciences and the London Royal Society housed only two departments: Mathematics and Physics.

More areas hadn't been designated, often causing many obstacles in scientific research, such as funding allocation. For instance, within the Physics department, how could Electrics, a field not even theorized yet, compete for funds with established fields like Mechanics? Not to mention Geology, which traditional physicists would not even glance at.

The management issues were similar; for example, Lavoisier was the deputy director of the Physics department, but he knew little about physics, leading to a dominance of chemistry research in his department—how could he lead the Physics department?

Moreover, with many young promising physicists submitting papers to him, it was a minor issue for him to not understand them. However, sometimes delaying the potential breakthroughs of promising newcomers could be a major loss.

Thus, Joseph had Le Roy, Lagrange, Condorcet, and Lapras reorganize the Academy based on modern disciplinary categorization.

This would increase the efficiency of future research and ensure more rational allocation of funds.

At the same time, specialized departments would attract more talents to France.

For instance, a leading scholar in Geology, who might be overlooked among theoretical physics elites elsewhere, could potentially become the head of the Geology department at the French Academy of Sciences!

A transformation from a crow to a phoenix.

At least everyone in your department would be engaged in related research and wouldn't be dismissively turning up their noses at you.

Director Le Roy continued, "As for the national laboratories supporting each department, most of them are nearly completed. If everything goes smoothly, they should all be operational by August this year."

What Joseph had prompted the Academy to establish, these national laboratories, was also pioneering for the era.

Back then, scientific research was a very luxurious pursuit, not something the average wealth-laden magnate could afford.

Regarding the laboratory, universities could only provide the most basic equipment. To conduct cutting-edge research, one had to dig deep into their own pockets. Successful research wasn't guaranteed to break even, and failed projects could lead to significant losses.

Therefore, scholars of the era were truly admirable figures, striving for ideals alone.

Yet, this also meant many highly talented but impoverished scholars would sigh helplessly, unable to utilize their abilities to the fullest.

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In the 17th century, Parisian society brimmed with numerous scientific and philosophical circles, starting to actively conduct scientific experiments and share results with others. In 1664, Thévenot, Auzout, and Petit drafted a proposal "Compagnie des Sciences et des Arts". In 1666, under mediation from the prime minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683), King Louis XIV (reigning personally from 1661, born September 5, 1638, died September 1, 1715) officially ordained the establishment of the Paris Academy of Sciences, which led to the foundation of the Paris Observatory in 1667. Colbert, utilizing Mason College as a recruiting base while attracting talents from various nations, assembled a team for the Academy. Paris quickly established a system for discovering and educating talents, drawing renowned scholars from across the European Continent. Foreign scholars residing in other lands could also contact Paris as corresponding members. Through stable sponsorship by the King, the Academy ensured scientists a worry-free livelihood. As a national institution, the Academy held broad responsibilities in consultation, particularly in patents and technology. Initially consisting of 56 scientists, the classifications followed those of Aristotle, primarily divided into mathematical and physical sciences.

The golden era of the Academy unfolded over the next few decades, as it flourished remarkably. It became a model for many other European academies, including those in Saint Petersburg and Berlin. The first director of the Paris Royal Academy of Sciences, a Dutch national Huygens (1629-1695), initially studied mathematics under Descartes (1596-1650) and later through correspondence became a disciple of Mason, and emerged as a renowned physicist and mathematician proposing the conservation of momentum and the wave theory of light. The first director of the Paris Observatory was Italian scientist Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625-1712), from the University of Bologna, who had managed Bologna University's department of astronomy for many years, known for his observations of Jupiter and Mars. With robust financial support and the dual leadership of Huygens and Cassini, the Paris Academy became a magnet attracting young talents from all over Europe, rapidly rising as the scholarly hub of the European Continent. In 1672, the German diplomat Leibniz (1646-1716) arrived at the Paris Academy, and under the mentorship of Huygens, he systematically studied mathematics. In this stimulating environment, Leibniz quickly advanced his mathematical skills and, within a few years, independently reinvented calculus alongside Newton, though his notation system was clearer and is still used today. However, this also sparked a prolonged quarrel with the British over the credits of inventing calculus. As the dispute intensified, British and French mathematicians ultimately chose to go their separate ways.