The Making of Modern Science by David Knight

The Making of Modern Science by David Knight

Modern chemistry, so alarming, so necessary, so ubiquitous, became a mature science in nineteenth-century Europe. As it developed, often from a lowly position in medicine or in industry, so chemists established themselves as professional men; but differently in different countries. In 1820 chemistry was an autonomous science of great prestige but chemists had no corporate identity. It was 1840 before national chemical societies were first formed; and many countries lagged fifty years behind. Chemists are the largest of scientific groups; and in this 1998 book we observe the social history of chemistry in fifteen countries, ranging from the British Isles to Lithuania and Greece. There are regularities and similarities; and by describing how national chemical professions emerged under particular economic and social circumstances, the book contributes significantly to European history of science.

"Knight loves science and he loves historyThis work is a splendid example of how to communicate that enthusiasm."
British Journal for the History of Science

"A fine synthesis, the fruit of a lifetime's study and reflection, which should prompt some readers to begin a lifetime study of their own."
Times Higher Education

"A superb history of the discipline."
The Diplomat

"A magisterial survey. For anyone who has experienced the delight of hearing Knight deliver a public lecture, reading this will summon up his mellifluous voice as though he were standing in the same room."
Metascience

"Replete with insight and astute synthesis. It conveys the excitement of science and of its history."
Social History of Medicine

"Knight ably discusses the various threads in this complex story, his description of the people and events which shaped the scientific developments are always interesting, and his interpretation of the philosophical and cultural changes are always insightful. Knight has a lot to offer any reader interested in how the profession established itself as one for skilled minds ... This book is well researched and well written and is to be recommended to anyone interested in how science and scientists emerged in the 20th century."
Chemistry World

"The book is replete with insight and astute synthesis. It conveys the excitement of science and of its history."
Social History of Medicine

"David Knight has long delighted his readers with books on the history of science that have been both instructive and entertaining. Here he draws on a lifetime's study to explain how science - as a practical, intellectually challenging, and socially diverse activity - gained its cultural importance in the long nineteenth-century. Warmly recommended."
John Hedley Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor Emeritus of Science & Religion, University of Oxford

"David Knight's latest book is a glittering magnum opus in which he describes the professionalization of science by drawing on examples from various disciplines. The writing is erudite, lucid and upbeat. The book is a social history, an institutional history and an internal history all in one, and it is gratifying to see chemistry assuming a rather central position in the story."
Eric Scerri, author of The Periodic Table, Its Story and Its Significance

"This book is a pleasure to read: light in style, yet incisive, informative, and even profound. With a few well-chosen words Knight can conjure up a Huxley or a Faraday, or explain the problems scientists faced in understanding the variety of human 'races'. His explanations of scientific issues go to the heart of the matter and are never weighed down with detail. I can't think of a better or more rounded introduction to the history of nineteenth-century science."
Geoffrey Cantor, University of Leeds

 

David Knight is Emeritus Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Durham University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780745636764
ISBN 10	0745636764
Title	The Making of Modern Science
Author	David Knight
Series	History Of Science
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Year published	2009-10-09
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.