Description
Book SynopsisThis book challenges the accepted view of the early Royal Society of London that holds that its fellows did not seriously attempt to implement Francis Bacon's program for the methodological reform of the sciences. Instead, the book shows that Bacon's program shaped the society's earliest work in important, if often contradictory, ways.
Trade Review"Recommended . . . for its examination of source materials. Faculty and researchers." --
Choice"Makes a worthwhile contribution to our understanding of the ideological basis of the early Royal society." --
Technology and CultureTable of ContentsVarieties of Things: Objects of Knowledge and Baconian Method in the Early Royal Society of London z Text, Skill, and Experience in John Evelyn's Sylva Similitudes and Congruities: The Mechanical Philosophy, Practical Mechanics, and Baconian Analogy in Hooke's Micrographia 4 A Language of Things: John Wilkins' Philosophical Language and Operative Forms 5 Disarming Words for a Land of Experimental Knowledge: Sprat's History of the Royal Society 6 Preserving the Subject in Peace and Plenty: John Graunt's Natural and Political Observations upon the Bills of Mortality Conclusion Bibliography Index
