From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences

During the 19th century, much of the modern scientific enterprise took shape: scientific disciplines were formed, institutions and communities were founded and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred. In this book, 11 leading historians of science assess what their field has taught us about this exciting time and identify issues that remain unexamined or require reconsideration. They treat scientific disciplines - biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, mathematics and the social sciences - in their specific intellectual and sociocultural contexts as well as the broader topics of science and medicine; science and religion; scientific institutions and communities; and science, technology and industry. Providing a much-needed overview and analysis of a rapidly expanding field, "From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences" should be valuable for historians of science, but also of great interest to scholars of all aspects of 19th-century life and culture.