The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius

Chaplin, Joyce

ISBN 10: 0465009557 / ISBN 13: 9780465009558

Verlag: Basic Books, 2006

Item in good condition and has highlighting/writing on text. Used texts may not contain supplemental items such as CDs, info-trac etc. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 00099891601

Inhaltsangabe:

Famous, fascinating Benjamin Franklin--he would be neither without his accomplishments in science. Joyce Chaplin's authoritative biography considers all of Franklin's work in the sciences, showing how, during the rise and fall of the first British empire, science became central to public culture and therefore to Franklin's success. Having demonstrated in his earliest experiments and observations that he could master nature, Franklin showed the world that he was uniquely suited to solve problems in every realm. In the famous adage, Franklin "snatched lightning from the sky and the scepter from the tyrants"--in that order. The famous kite and other experiments with electricity were only part of Franklin's accomplishments. He charted the Gulf Stream, made important observations on meteorology, and used the burgeoning science of "political arithmetic" to make unprecedented statements about America's power. Even as he stepped onto the world stage as an illustrious statesman and diplomat in the years leading up to the American Revolution, his fascination with nature was unrelenting. Franklin was the first American whose "genius" for science qualified him as a genius in political affairs. It is only through understanding Franklin's full engagement with the sciences that we can understand this great Founding Father and the world he shaped.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor:

Joyce E. Chaplin is Professor of History at Harvard University. She is the author of two academic books: An Anxious Pursuit and Subject Matter . She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The First Scientific American: Benjamin ...
Verlag: Basic Books
Erscheinungsdatum: 2006
Einband: Hardcover
Zustand: Good