Philosophy
John Theophilus Desaguliers
March 13th, 1683 to February 29th, 1744
A scientist, a priest, and lecturer for the populace.
Bill Ashworth [Linda Hall Library Newsletter] wrote...
John Theophilus Desaguliers, an English physicist of French origin, was born Mar. 12, 1683. The early 18th century was a time when experimental physics courses, and physics demonstrations, started to become very popular, and Desaguliers was a master of the art. He taught first at Oxford, then in London, and he became official demonstrator at the Royal Society, in a post originated by Robert Hooke. Armed with air pumps, electrical machines, and even a “condensing engine” (an early steam engine), Desaguliers would wow his audiences with the latest in Newtonian physics (and when at the Royal Society, with Newton himself in the President’s Chair). Because his livelihood depended on attendance at his lectures, Desaguliers did not publish his lectures--you had to go there, pay your money, and write them down yourself.
Now, here's the amusing part...
In 1719, one of his students published his lectures without permission. Desaguliers at first protested, but then, making the best of the situation, he came to a financial agreement with the publishers, added another title page taking credit for the lectures, and even provided a list of errata so that the imperfect transcriptions could be corrected by the reader.
A course of experimental philosophy, Volume 1 by, John Theophilus Desaguliers
I could not find a copy of volume 2.
John Theophilus Desaguliers [Wikipedia]
- William Whewell...scientific "wordsmith"
William Whewell May 24th, 1794 to March 6th, 1866 The old words like "natural philosopher" are OUT and new words like "scientist" and "physicist" are IN as well as "anode, cathode, diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ion". Bill Ashworth wrote in the Linda...
- Robert Hooke...1703
Robert Hooke July 18th, 1635 to March 3rd, 1703 Robert Hooke, an English natural philosopher, died March 3rd, 1703. Hooke made his own microscopes and rendered fine illustrations of what he observed. Hooke did not get along well with his contemporary...
- Feynman's Physics Lectures...online
"Bill Gates puts Feynman physics lectures online" by Mike Magee July 15th, 2009 TG Daily A collection of lectures delivered by physicist Richard Feynman and privately bought by Microsoft founder Bill Gates have been posted online. Feynman shared...
- John Heilbron--"modernity" Physics
POSP's west coast stringer Tim has again provided this interesting lecture from UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lecture series: "Physics and History: Links Between Two Cultures Fractured in Modernity" by John Heilbron given on March 17th, 2008. "Experimental...
- John Heilbron--"baroque" Physics
UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures "Physics and History: Links Between Two Cultures Forged in the Baroque" John Heilbron March 10th, 2008 "Experimental physical science and modern universal history came into the world about the same time, around...
Philosophy
John Desaguliers...scientist with an amusing story
John Theophilus DesaguliersMarch 13th, 1683 to February 29th, 1744
A scientist, a priest, and lecturer for the populace.
Bill Ashworth [Linda Hall Library Newsletter] wrote...
John Theophilus Desaguliers, an English physicist of French origin, was born Mar. 12, 1683. The early 18th century was a time when experimental physics courses, and physics demonstrations, started to become very popular, and Desaguliers was a master of the art. He taught first at Oxford, then in London, and he became official demonstrator at the Royal Society, in a post originated by Robert Hooke. Armed with air pumps, electrical machines, and even a “condensing engine” (an early steam engine), Desaguliers would wow his audiences with the latest in Newtonian physics (and when at the Royal Society, with Newton himself in the President’s Chair). Because his livelihood depended on attendance at his lectures, Desaguliers did not publish his lectures--you had to go there, pay your money, and write them down yourself.
Now, here's the amusing part...
In 1719, one of his students published his lectures without permission. Desaguliers at first protested, but then, making the best of the situation, he came to a financial agreement with the publishers, added another title page taking credit for the lectures, and even provided a list of errata so that the imperfect transcriptions could be corrected by the reader.
A course of experimental philosophy, Volume 1 by, John Theophilus Desaguliers
I could not find a copy of volume 2.
John Theophilus Desaguliers [Wikipedia]
- William Whewell...scientific "wordsmith"
William Whewell May 24th, 1794 to March 6th, 1866 The old words like "natural philosopher" are OUT and new words like "scientist" and "physicist" are IN as well as "anode, cathode, diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ion". Bill Ashworth wrote in the Linda...
- Robert Hooke...1703
Robert Hooke July 18th, 1635 to March 3rd, 1703 Robert Hooke, an English natural philosopher, died March 3rd, 1703. Hooke made his own microscopes and rendered fine illustrations of what he observed. Hooke did not get along well with his contemporary...
- Feynman's Physics Lectures...online
"Bill Gates puts Feynman physics lectures online" by Mike Magee July 15th, 2009 TG Daily A collection of lectures delivered by physicist Richard Feynman and privately bought by Microsoft founder Bill Gates have been posted online. Feynman shared...
- John Heilbron--"modernity" Physics
POSP's west coast stringer Tim has again provided this interesting lecture from UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lecture series: "Physics and History: Links Between Two Cultures Fractured in Modernity" by John Heilbron given on March 17th, 2008. "Experimental...
- John Heilbron--"baroque" Physics
UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures "Physics and History: Links Between Two Cultures Forged in the Baroque" John Heilbron March 10th, 2008 "Experimental physical science and modern universal history came into the world about the same time, around...