Overview
Profiles the eminent 18th century natural philosopher Henry Cavendish, best known for his work in chemistry and physics and one of the most baffling personalities in the history of science. In these chapters we are introduced to the psychology of science and of scientists and we learn about Cavendish’s life and times. His personality is examined from two perspectives: one is that he had a less severe form of autism, as has been claimed; the other is that he was eccentric and a psychological disorder was absent. Henry Cavendish lived a life of science, possibly more completely than any other figure in the history of science: a wealthy aristocrat, he became a dedicated scientist. This study brings new information and a new perspective to our understanding of the man. The scientific and non-scientific sides of his life are brought closer together, as the author traces topics including his appearance, speech, wealth, religion and death as well as Cavendish’s life of natural philosophy where objectivity and accuracy, writing and recognition all played a part. The author traces aspects of Cavendish’s personality, views and interpretations of him, and explores notions of eccentricity and autism before detailing relevant aspects of the travels made by our subject. The author considers the question “How do we talk about Cavendish?” and provides a useful summary of Cavendish’s travels. This book will appeal to a wide audience, from those interested in 18th century history or history of science, to those interested in incidences of autism in prominent figures from history. This volume contains ample relevant illustrations, several interesting appendices and it includes a useful index and bibliography.
Full Product Details
Author: Russell McCormmach
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG
Imprint: Springer International Publishing AG
Edition: Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
Volume: 36
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 4.978kg
ISBN: 9783319350646
ISBN 10: 3319350641
Pages: 310
Publication Date: 03 September 2016
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
From the book reviews: This book will be of most interest to scholars and graduate students in the history and philosophy of scientific psychology. ... The book's peculiarity is that one can achieve great scientific accomplishment and have that accomplishment grow-even within an immersion of personality characteristics that would seem to invite the converse. (Richard W. Bloom, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 60 (8), February, 2015)
