It’s my impression that many scholars whom we now might regard as astronomers, mathematicians, or physicists — such as Galileo, Descartes, or Newton — thought of their own work as being in the tradition of philosophy, and were thought of as philosophers by their contemporaries.
For instance: Galileo expounded his astronomy (or Copernicus’s) in a work with the style of Socratic dialogues. Descartes’ Geometry was an appendix to his philosophical Discourse on Method. The social role of “scientist” didn’t exist until much later.
It’s my impression that many scholars whom we now might regard as astronomers, mathematicians, or physicists — such as Galileo, Descartes, or Newton — thought of their own work as being in the tradition of philosophy, and were thought of as philosophers by their contemporaries.
For instance: Galileo expounded his astronomy (or Copernicus’s) in a work with the style of Socratic dialogues. Descartes’ Geometry was an appendix to his philosophical Discourse on Method. The social role of “scientist” didn’t exist until much later.