The Man Who Flattened the Earth: Maupertuis and the Sciences in the Enlightenment Paperback - 2006
by Mary Terrall
First line
IN 1739, AT THE PEAK OF HIS SCIENTIFIC CAREER, Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis sat for his portrait (see frontispiece).
From the rear cover
Self-styled adventurer, literary wit, philosopher, and statesman of science, Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698-1759) stood at the center of Enlightenment science and culture. Offering an elegant and accessible portrait of this remarkable man, Mary Terrall uses the story of Maupertuis's life, self-fashioning, and scientific works to explore what it meant to do science and to be a man of science in eighteenth-century Europe. Beginning his scientific career as a mathematician in Paris, Maupertuis entered the public eye with a much-discussed expedition to Lapland, which confirmed Newton's calculation that the earth was flattened at the poles. He also made significant, and often intentionally controversial, contributions to physics, life science, navigation, astronomy, and metaphysics. Called to Berlin by Frederick the Great, Maupertuis moved to Prussia to preside over the Academy of Sciences there. Equally at home in salons, cafés, scientific academies, and royal courts, Maupertuis used his social connections and his printed works to enhance a carefully constructed reputation as both a man of letters and a man of science. His social and institutional affiliations, in turn, affected how Maupertuis formulated his ideas, how he presented them to his contemporaries, and the reactions they provoked. Terrall not only illuminates the life and work of a colorful and important Enlightenment figure, but also uses his story to delve into many wider issues, including the development of scientific institutions, the impact of print culture on science, and the interactions of science and government. Smart and highly readable, Maupertuis will appeal to anyone interested in eighteenth-century science and culture.
Details
- Title The Man Who Flattened the Earth: Maupertuis and the Sciences in the Enlightenment
- Author Mary Terrall
- Binding Paperback
- Edition First Paperback
- Pages 468
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher University of Chicago Press
- Date 2006-06-15
- Illustrated Yes
- Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
- ISBN 9780226793610 / 0226793613
- Weight 1.2 lbs (0.54 kg)
- Dimensions 9 x 6.08 x 0.92 in (22.86 x 15.44 x 2.34 cm)
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 17th Century
- Chronological Period: 18th Century
- Cultural Region: French
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002006778
- Dewey Decimal Code B
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