The Shadow of Great Britain

In the strictest sense, Arthur Hastings does not belong to that category of scientists whose singular formulas or laws are permanently etched into textbooks. His name is not directly tied to an experimental law like Faraday’s, nor has it become synonymous with an entire mathematical system like Gauss’. However, this very absence has led to his position in the history of electromagnetism being long undervalued and repeatedly re-evaluated in modern scientific historical studies.

Later scholars generally believe that this owner of the England Electromagnetic Telegraph Company made his contribution to the study of electromagnetism not in ”what he discovered” but in ”what he made possible”.

In the electromagnetic research of the 1830 to 1850s, the greatest problem was not the lack of theory but the instability of experiments, irreproducible conclusions, and results that were difficult to compare. Hastings’ work precisely concentrated on these technical details.

Some scholars point out that without the continuous emphasis on experimental repeatability during this phase, the process of mathematizing electromagnetic theory in the mid-19th century would inevitably have been delayed. Hastings’ work did not directly lead to any ultimate conclusion, but invisibly shortened the distance between experiment and theory. In this sense, he was more akin to a methodological engineer rather than a discoverer in the traditional sense.

Equally important, Hastings’ role in the scientific community was not as an isolated researcher. The network of communication he formed with Faraday, Wheatstone, Weber, Gauss, and others allowed the British experimental tradition to maintain a continuous dialogue with the German tradition of mathematical physics. Later scientific historians often note that it was precisely in these cross-disciplinary communications and informal discussions that electromagnetism gradually obtained a unified language. Perhaps Hastings was not the loudest voice in these dialogues, yet he was the most stable and enduring participant.

——Olivier Dargor, ”Electrodynamics: From Ampere to Einstein”

Hearing Arthur say this, Dickens, though slightly surprised, was not shocked. After all, when he first met Arthur, although Arthur was then still of low standing, he was already the protector of the lower classes in Great Britain.

Just as Aristotle said: I love my teacher, but I love the truth more.

Academic criticism is the inevitable path to intellectual progress; this phrase fits Arthur perfectly.

However, Arthur’s indifference to turning against Lord Brougham doesn’t mean his friends won’t consider it for him.

Darwin was the first to feel restless. Although he wasn’t the type to interject in lively discussions, especially when it involved political and personnel entanglements, he usually preferred to step aside. But he knew there was something now that Arthur must get Lord Brougham’s help with.

The election of new members of the Royal Society is set for mid-February this year. Much like the New Poor Law, the admission system reforms that the Duke of Sussex has been promoting to reshape the Royal Society’s scientific authority will also be fully implemented this year.

In other words, starting this year, it will not be so easy to sneak in and obtain the FRS title.

First, according to the new admission requirements, candidates must have clear scientific research achievements, and their research in a certain field must receive peer recognition.

On this point, Arthur does not have much to worry about. As the head of the British telegraph industry and inventor of the Hastings resistor, his contributions to the field of electromagnetism are evident to all.

Furthermore, to prevent academic fraudsters from sneaking into the Royal Society based on private connections, under the new admission regulations, candidates are required to obtain a joint nomination from at least six Royal Society members. The nomination document must include the candidate’s name, title, affiliated institution, and a brief but clear summary of academic contributions.

According to the requirements of the Royal Society’s council, the nominators must understand the candidate’s scientific work, and ceremonial signatures are no longer encouraged among members.

After the nominations are concluded, a public announcement will also be conducted, which is the most critical part of the Duke of Sussex’s reforms. The nomination documents of candidates will be posted within the Royal Society for several weeks for all members to review. If any member has objections, they can directly respond to the council. During the subsequent screening stage, the council will also conduct strict checks based on members’ evaluations, and any confirmed academic fraud will result in immediate disqualification of the candidate.

And finally, even if there are no issues in all stages, the Royal Society still follows the traditional procedure of member voting. Just now, the voting is no longer a mere formality as before the reforms, where membership qualification was predetermined.

Due to the Duke of Sussex’s restriction on the annual number of admissions, the current voting must reach a legal majority, that is, more than two-thirds, to be approved.

From Darwin’s perspective, if Arthur offends Lord Brougham because of the New Poor Law, the issue is no longer merely whether someone will be displeased, but whether someone will remain silent at a critical moment.

After all, Arthur is unlike him; Darwin’s whole family are members of the Royal Society, and Darwin himself graduated from Trinity College at Cambridge University. His family background alone makes it unlikely for him to fail in the election process of the Royal Society.