ABSTRACT
The development of the natural sciences was associated with the growth of collectivism in two main ways. There was its contribution to the formation of general attitudes in particular in respect of scientific method; and there was, more specifically, the way in which scientific discovery provided a practical basis for or invited changes in particular aspects of government policy. Something will be said about each. In addition some of the many forms of naturalistic belief will also be briefly reviewed as they bore on the question of public interest and collective action to achieve it.
