Royal Scottish Society of Arts
Listing Details
'The Society was founded by the great Scottish physicist and natural philosopher Sir David Brewster in 1821 as an '"mproving society" dedicated to the promotion of invention and enterprise. Its original name - "The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland" - showed that it was concerned with the fields that we would now describe as science, technology, engineering and manufacture, but which were then known as the useful arts, as opposed to the fine arts ... In more recent times, the Society's meeting programme has been based on lectures given by expert and often distinguished speakers. The lectures cover a wide range of scientific and technical topics, but still with the original aim of keeping the membership informed about current concerns in science, engineering, medicine, and often with a topical edge. '