Philosophy
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 Hall Library Newsletter...
William Whewell, an English philosopher of science, was born May 24, 1794. Whewell (pronounced Hughell) taught at the University of Cambridge when Darwin was there, and Darwin mentioned several instances in his autobiography when he walked home with Whewell, and Darwin complimented him on being the second-best converser he ever listened to, but Whewell did not play nearly so strong a role in Darwin's education as John Herschel and John Henslow. Shortly after Darwin returned from the Beagle voyage, Whewell published A History of the Inductive Sciences (1837) and then, three years later, The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences (1840); both were of great importance in the revival of Baconian science in Victorian England, and we have all five volumes of the two works in the History of Science Collection (the Philosophy in a 2nd edition, 1847). One intriguing facet of Whewell's career was his uncanny skill at coining new words to fill lexicographic voids. For example, Galileo Galilei, properly speaking, was not a scientist, because the word "scientist" did not exist in Galileo's time; Whewell first proposed it as a useful label in 1837. Nor could you have called Newton a physicist, or at least not until Whewell coined that word in 1840. We hear in our history of geology courses about the catastrophist theories of Abraham Werner and the uniformitarian theories of James Hutton, but Werner and Hutton would not have recognized the terminology--both “catastrophist” and “uniformitarian” were words first used by Whewell in 1837. Even the term 'Nebular Hypothesis," to describe the idea that stars and planets are born from vast nebular clouds of gas and dust--an idea proposed in 1755 and 1796 by Kant and LaPlace--even that term was invented by Whewell. He was perhaps the most successful wordsmith that science has ever seen.
William Whewell [Wikipedia]
Defining Science: William Whewell, Natural Knowledge and Public Debate in Early Victorian Britain
The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History
or
The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History
- Exploring The Scientific Method
It's out! It's real. My textbook on the history and philosophy of science has been published by the University of Chicago Press. It has a completely different pedagogical approach from the usual in that it uses a ?track-based? approach that allows...
- Why Do You Know That?
Let's do this one again. It's the converse of "Auto Mechanics to Quantum Mechanics" where you provide everyone with those tidbits of useless knowledge you have stored away for no good reason. My contribution: New Haven, CT has the greatest number...
- Matthew Maury And William Whewell...citizen Scientists
U. S. Navy Museum... Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) Nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas," Matthew Fontaine Maury made important contributions to charting wind and ocean currents. His studies proved that by following the winds and currents ships could...
- History Of Science Society And James Orchard Halliwell...a Scandal
James Halliwell-Phillipps "The first HSS: the sad fate of a 19th-century history of science society" How an 18-year-old Royal Society fellow's fascination for manuscripts sunk an early venture in the history of science by Rebekah Higgitt ...
- Vintage Astronomy Texts
Some nostalgic, vintage astronomy texts... Aristotle On the Heavens Ball, R. S. Great Astronomers Bethe, Hans "Supernovae" Brahe, Tycho Astronomicall Coniectur [A New Star] Copernicus, Nicolaus De Revolutionibus Orbium...
Philosophy
William Whewell...scientific "wordsmith"
William WhewellMay 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 Hall Library Newsletter...
William Whewell, an English philosopher of science, was born May 24, 1794. Whewell (pronounced Hughell) taught at the University of Cambridge when Darwin was there, and Darwin mentioned several instances in his autobiography when he walked home with Whewell, and Darwin complimented him on being the second-best converser he ever listened to, but Whewell did not play nearly so strong a role in Darwin's education as John Herschel and John Henslow. Shortly after Darwin returned from the Beagle voyage, Whewell published A History of the Inductive Sciences (1837) and then, three years later, The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences (1840); both were of great importance in the revival of Baconian science in Victorian England, and we have all five volumes of the two works in the History of Science Collection (the Philosophy in a 2nd edition, 1847). One intriguing facet of Whewell's career was his uncanny skill at coining new words to fill lexicographic voids. For example, Galileo Galilei, properly speaking, was not a scientist, because the word "scientist" did not exist in Galileo's time; Whewell first proposed it as a useful label in 1837. Nor could you have called Newton a physicist, or at least not until Whewell coined that word in 1840. We hear in our history of geology courses about the catastrophist theories of Abraham Werner and the uniformitarian theories of James Hutton, but Werner and Hutton would not have recognized the terminology--both “catastrophist” and “uniformitarian” were words first used by Whewell in 1837. Even the term 'Nebular Hypothesis," to describe the idea that stars and planets are born from vast nebular clouds of gas and dust--an idea proposed in 1755 and 1796 by Kant and LaPlace--even that term was invented by Whewell. He was perhaps the most successful wordsmith that science has ever seen.
William Whewell [Wikipedia]
Defining Science: William Whewell, Natural Knowledge and Public Debate in Early Victorian Britain
The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History
or
The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History
- Exploring The Scientific Method
It's out! It's real. My textbook on the history and philosophy of science has been published by the University of Chicago Press. It has a completely different pedagogical approach from the usual in that it uses a ?track-based? approach that allows...
- Why Do You Know That?
Let's do this one again. It's the converse of "Auto Mechanics to Quantum Mechanics" where you provide everyone with those tidbits of useless knowledge you have stored away for no good reason. My contribution: New Haven, CT has the greatest number...
- Matthew Maury And William Whewell...citizen Scientists
U. S. Navy Museum... Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) Nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas," Matthew Fontaine Maury made important contributions to charting wind and ocean currents. His studies proved that by following the winds and currents ships could...
- History Of Science Society And James Orchard Halliwell...a Scandal
James Halliwell-Phillipps "The first HSS: the sad fate of a 19th-century history of science society" How an 18-year-old Royal Society fellow's fascination for manuscripts sunk an early venture in the history of science by Rebekah Higgitt ...
- Vintage Astronomy Texts
Some nostalgic, vintage astronomy texts... Aristotle On the Heavens Ball, R. S. Great Astronomers Bethe, Hans "Supernovae" Brahe, Tycho Astronomicall Coniectur [A New Star] Copernicus, Nicolaus De Revolutionibus Orbium...