From the eighteenth century until as recently as World War II, the natural scientist was depicted as a kind of moral superhero: objective, modest, ascetic, and selflessly dedicated to the betterment of humanity. What accounts for the widespread diffusion of this myth? In Science and Immortality, Charles B. Paul provides a partial explanation. The modern ideology of the scientist as disinterested seeker after truth arose partly through the transformation of an ancient literary form--the commemoration of heroes. In 1699 ...
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From the eighteenth century until as recently as World War II, the natural scientist was depicted as a kind of moral superhero: objective, modest, ascetic, and selflessly dedicated to the betterment of humanity. What accounts for the widespread diffusion of this myth? In Science and Immortality, Charles B. Paul provides a partial explanation. The modern ideology of the scientist as disinterested seeker after truth arose partly through the transformation of an ancient literary form--the commemoration of heroes. In 1699 Bernard de Fontenelle, as Secretary of the Paris Academy of Sciences, inaugurated the tradition of the ???loge , or eulogy, in honor of members of the Academy. The moral qualities that had once been attributed to the idealized Stoic philosopher were transferred in the eulogies to the "natural philosopher," or scientist. The over two hundred ???loges composed between 1699 and 1791 by Fontenelle and his successors--Mairan, Fouchy, and Condorcet--served as a powerful device for the popularization of science. It was the intention of the secretaries, though, not only to exhibit the natural scientist as a modern-day hero but also to present a truthful record of scientific activity in France. Paul examines the ???loges both as a literary form that used rhetorical and stylistic devises to reconcile these two conflicting goals and as a collective biography of a new breed of savants--one that already contained the seed of the conflict between self-image and reality embedded in the modern scientific enterprise. A unique history of science in eighteenth-century France, Science and Immortality illuminates the record in the ???loges of the professionalization of some sciences and the maturation of others, the recognition of their utility to society and the state, and the widening trust in science as the remedy to economic restriction and political absolutism. Paul's thorough catalog of the ???loges , extensive bibliography, and translations of representative ???loges make this book an essential source for scholars in the field. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.
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Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $2.40, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Olympic Marketing Corp.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $2.96, good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Olympic Marketing Corp.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $5.40, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Olympic Marketing Corp.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $7.00, very good condition, Sold by Chaparral Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Portland, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1980 by Olympic Marketing Corp.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 9x6x0; Minor shelf wear to binding. Light wear & foxing on edges of text block. Text and images unmarked. The dust jacket shows some light handling, in a mylar cover.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $7.00, very good condition, Sold by Alphaville Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hyattsville, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1980 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality the Eloges of the Paris Academy to cart. $7.13, good condition, Sold by David's Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from ypsilanti, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Olympic Marketing Corp.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $8.95, very good condition, Sold by Daedalus Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Portland, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1980 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $9.50, like new condition, Sold by Daedalus Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Portland, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1980 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the 'Eloges of the Paris to cart. $9.60, like new condition, Sold by Maxwell's House of Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from La Mesa, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of Science and Immortality: the Eloges of the Paris to cart. $13.00, like new condition, Sold by May Day Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Los Altos Hills, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1980 by University of California Press.
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F/NF, wrinkle on back flap of dust jacket. Octavo. In 1699 Bernard de Fontenelle began the tradition of the eloge, or eulogy, in honor of members of the Paris Academy of Sciences.
