Description
Book SynopsisAfter their restoration of 1814, the Jesuits made significant contributions to the natural sciences, especially in the fields of astronomy, meteorology, seismology, terrestrial magnetism, mathematics, and biology. This narrative provides a history of the Jesuit institutions in which these discoveries were made, many of which were established in countries that previously had no scientific institutions whatsoever, thus generating a scientific and educational legacy that endures to this day. The article also focuses on the teaching and research that took place at Jesuit universities and secondary schools, as well as the order’s creation of a worldwide network of seventy-four astronomical and geophysical observatories where particularly important contributions were made to the fields of terrestrial magnetism, microseisms, tropical hurricanes, and botany.
Trade Review“By establishing the who’s who and what’s what of modern Jesuit science, Udías is effectively clearing the ground for other scholars, much in the spirit of the series in which it appeared […]. For those who are venturing for the first time on the territory of modern Jesuit science, I recommend this work as a mine of research topics.” - Jean-Olivier Richard, University of Toronto, in: Journal of Jesuit Studies, Vol. 7, No. 4 (2020), pp. 694-697
Table of ContentsJesuits and the Natural Sciences in Modern Times, 1814–2014 Agustín Udías Abstract Keywords 1 Introduction 2 A New Beginning 3 Science in the Training of Jesuits and the Tension between Scholastic Philosophy and Modern Science 4 Science in Jesuit Universities, Colleges, and Secondary Schools 5 The New Observatories 6 The Earth’s Magnetism 7 Jesuit Meteorological Stations 8 Tropical Hurricanes 9 Earthquakes and Seismology 10 The Tradition in Mathematics 11 The New Naturalists and Biologists 12 Jesuit Scientists in Non-Jesuit Institutions 13 Recent Developments 14 Jesuit Scientists and Ignatian Spirituality 15 Conclusion Bibliography
