Evolutionism in Eighteenth-century French Thought
Evolutionism in Eighteenth-century French Thought

Author: Mary Efrosini Gregory

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9781433103735

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This book examines how eight eighteenth-century French theorists - Maillet, Montesquieu, La Mettrie, Buffon, Maupertuis, Diderot, Rousseau, and Voltaire - addressed evolutionism. Each thinker laid down a building block that would eventually open the door to the mutability of species and a departure from the long-held belief that the chain of beings is fixed. This book describes how the philosophes established a triune relationship among contemporary scientific discoveries, random creationism propelled by the motive and conscious properties of matter, and the notion of the chain of being, along with its corollaries, plenitude and continuity. Also addressed is the contemporary debate over whether apes could ever be taught to speak as well as the issue of race and the family of man.

Kant and the Transformation of Natural History
Kant and the Transformation of Natural History

Author: Andrew Cooper

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2023-09

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 0192869787

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Andrew Cooper presents the first systematic study of Kant's account of natural history. Cooper contends that Kant made a decisive contribution to one of the most explosive and understudied revolutions in the history of science: the addition of time to the frame in which explanations are required, sought, and justified in natural science. Through addressing a wide range of Kant's works, Cooper challenges the claim that Kant's theory of science denies a developmental conception of nature and argues instead that it establishes a method by which natural historians can genuinely dispute historical claims and potentially come to consensus. This method, Cooper argues, can be used to expose serious flaws in Kant's own historical reasoning, including the formation and defence of his racist views. The book will be valuable to philosophers seeking to discern both the power and limitations of Kant's theory of science, and to historians of science working on the fractured landscape of eighteenth-century Newtonianism.

Observations Upon The Generation, Composition, And Decomposition Of Animal And Vegetable Substances
Observations Upon The Generation, Composition, And Decomposition Of Animal And Vegetable Substances

Author: John Turberville 1713-1781 Needham

Publisher: Legare Street Press

Published: 2023-07-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781020214264

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Join John Turberville Needham as he explores the science behind animal and vegetable substances. This book provides insight into the generation, composition, and decomposition of these substances. It's a fascinating read that will enlighten you on the secrets of life. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A Touch of Blossom
A Touch of Blossom

Author: Alison Mairi Syme

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9780271036229

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"Explores the art of John Singer Sargent in the context of nineteenth-century botany, gynecology, literature, and visual culture. Argues that the artist was elaborating both a period poetics of homosexuality and a new sense of subjectivity, anticipating certain aspects of artistic modernism"--Provided by publisher.

Science Against the Unbelievers
Science Against the Unbelievers

Author: Renato Giuseppe Mazzolini

Publisher:

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13:

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The Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment series, previously known as SVEC (Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century), has published over 500 peer-reviewed scholarly volumes since 1955 as part of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford. International in focus, Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment volumes cover wide-ranging aspects of the eighteenth century and the Enlightenment, from gender studies to political theory, and from economics to visual arts and music, and are published in English or French.