Recreating Newton : Newtonian biography and the making of nineteenth-century history of science / / by Rebekah Higgitt

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910528360703321
• Autore: Higgitt Rebekah
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Abingdon, Oxon : , : Routledge, , 2016
• ISBN: 0-8229-4477-4; 0-8229-8179-3; 1-315-65306-0; 1-317-31494-8; 1-281-12503-2; 9786611125035; 1-85196-547-5
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (ix, 286 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
• Collana: Science and culture in the nineteenth century ; ; no. 2
• Disciplina: 530.092
• Soggetti: Scientists - History and criticism; Science - Great Britain - History - 19th century; Science - Great Britain - History - 17th century - Historiography; Biography as a literary form; Great Britain Intellectual life 19th century
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: First published 2007 by Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Contents; Acknowledgements; List of Illustrations and Tables; Introduction; 1 Jean-Baptiste Biot's 'Newton' and its English Translation (1822-1829); 2 David Brewster's Life of Sir Isaac newton (1831): Defending the Hero; 3 Francis Baily's Account of the Revd John Flamsteed (1835); 4 Newtonian Studies and the History of Science 1835-1855; 5 David Brewster's Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton (1855): The 'Regretful Witness'; 6 The 'Mythical' and the 'Historical' Newton; Conclusion; Notes; Appendix: Translations of Quotations from Biot's 'Newton' in Chapter 1; Works Cited; Index
• Sommario/riassunto: Higgitt examines Isaac Newton's changing legacy during the nineteenth century. She focuses on 1820-70, a period that saw the creation of the specialized and secularized role of the 'scientist'. At the same time, ; researchers gained better access to Newton's archives. These were used both by those who wished to undermine the traditional, idealised depiction of scientific genius and those who felt obliged to defend Newtonian hagiography. Higgitt shows how debates about Newton's character stimulated historical scholarship and led to the development of a new expertise in the history of science.