Natural History

Natural history and natural philosophy together form the principle branches of natural science. They begin in Iron age cultures as an attempt to better understand nature by way of a reflection that no longer interprets natural phenomena as the will of the gods. Natural philosophers, or naturalists, seek to unshackle themselves from received opinion to the end of describing natural phenomena on the bases of careful observation. The authority of this observation is deemed, in the case of conflict, to trump that of religion and theology.

The description of natural phenomena afforded by natural history is not experiment-based. Natural historians may well engage in dissection and vivisection to get a better look at the everyday operations of nature, but they have little inclination to impose highly artificial environments upon the natural phenomena which they study. To the eye of the natural historian, the rigorous control of variables achievable through experimentation casts a light that distorts more than it clarifies. In the search for knowledge, those willing to vex nature, like those willing to torture prisoners, deceive themselves by posing leading questions and accepting convenient answers. For their part, natural philosophers seek to do justice to nature as it presents itself to the attentive eye. And they seek to classify the variety of natural phenomena on the basis of their careful descriptions.

Natural history and natural philosophy are precursors of modern science. In particular, natural history is the precursor of biology and geology, and natural philosophy is the precursor of chemistry and physics. Natural historians, however, do not draw rigorous distinctions between life and its environment. For them the study of animals, or of plants, or of minerals is not a matter of specialization such that the price of dedicating oneself to one field is incompetence in the others. Research within the different branches of natural history remains united by common goals and a common language. Consequently, natural history remains eminently accessible to the amateur enthusiast. It is only in Renaissance age cultures that the corpus of natural science begins to come apart by way of an emerging experimental-based science that yields results which are of great consequence within a given field and of little consequence outside it. This modern science is ruthless in its pursuit of ever greater specialisation within its respective fields.

Major branches of natural history include astronomy, meteorology, geography, geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and medicine. The key skill for the pursuit of natural history is Knowledge (nature). For field work in all but the tamest of environments, the Survival skill is desirable. This pair of skills also afford synergy bonus to one another. For field work in unfamiliar place, the Knowledge (geography) skill is desirable. For work underground, the Knowledge (dungeoneering skill is desirable. For work with animals, the Handle Animal skill is essential. For work with plants, the Profession (herbalist) skill is essential. For work with minerals, the [[Profession (miner)) skills is essential. The skills Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot may be highly desire as a function of the type of fieldwork undertaken. The Appraise skill may also be highly desirable.

The chief practitioners of natural history are members of the aristocrat class. Not only do they have the time and money for indulging in a pastime, they moreover have access to Knowledge (nature) as a class skill. Given the necessary resources, members of the expert class are even better suited to becoming naturalists. Adepts, bards, druids, rangers and wizards have access to Knowledge (nature) as a class skill, but none is especially likely to embrace in its entirety the perspective of the natural historian with the possible exception of the ranger. Elves are especially well-suited to the in-the-field work as naturalists given their +2 bonus on listen and spot checks.