In this interdisciplinary study of eighteenth-century England, Patricia
Fara explores how natural philosophers constructed magnetism as a
science, appropriating the skills and knowledge of experienced
navigators. For people of this period, magnetic phenomena reverberated
with the symbolism of occult mystery, sexual attraction, and universal
sympathies; in this maritime nation, magnetic instruments such as
navigational compasses heralded imperial expansion, commercial gain, and
scientific progress. By analyzing such multiple associations, Fara
reconstructs cultural interactions in the days just prior to the
creation of disciplinary science. Not only does this illustrated book
provide a kaleidoscopic view of a changing society, but it also portrays
the emergence of public science.
Linking this rise in interest to the utility and mysteriousness of
magnetism, Fara organizes her discussion into themes, including
commercialization, imperialism, instruments and invention, the role of
language, attitudes toward the past, and the relationship between
religion and natural philosophy. Fara shows that natural philosophers,
proclaiming themselves as the only true experts on magnetism, actively
participated in massive transformations of English life. In their bids
for public recognition as elite specialists, they engaged in
controversies that resonated with religious, economic, moral, gender,
and political implications. These struggles for social and scientific
authority in the eighteenth century provide the background for better
understanding the cultural topography of modern society.
Originally published in 1996.
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