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The ideas of Charles Darwin and his fellow Victorian scientists have had an abiding effect on the modern world. But at the time The Origin of Species was published in 1859, the British public looked not to practicing scientists but to a growing group of professional writers and journalists to interpret the larger meaning of scientific theories in terms they could understand and in ways they could appreciate. Victorian Popularizers of Science focuses on this important group of men and women who wrote about science for a general audience in the second half of the nineteenth century. Bernard Lightman examines more than thirty of the most prolific, influential, and interesting popularizers of the day, investigating the dramatic lecturing techniques, vivid illustrations, and accessible literary styles they used to communicate with their audience. By focusing on a forgotten coterie of science writers, their publishers, and their public, Lightman offers new insights into the role of women in scientific inquiry, the market for scientific knowledge, tensions between religion and science, and the complexities of scientific authority in nineteenth-century Britain.

Great Britain - Social conditions - 19th century. --- Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century. --- Science - Great Britain - History - 19th century. --- Science -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century. --- Technical writing - Great Britain - History - 19th century. --- Technical writing -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century. --- Science --- Technical writing --- Sciences - General --- Physical Sciences & Mathematics --- History --- Great Britain --- Social conditions --- Engineering --- Scientific writing --- Technology --- Authorship --- Communication of technical information

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During the nineteenth century there was no clear boundary line between those who were considered to be part of the scientific community and those who were seen as outsiders. It was during this century that the categories of 'professional scientist', 'amateur' and 'popularizer of science' were being debated and constructed. As a result, in recent times scholars of the period have explored the important roles of neglected amateurs, women and members of the working class. Scholars in the field are continually broadening their definition of the terms 'science' and 'scientist'. This dictionary contains more than 1200 entries on both major and minor figures who had an impact on British science. By examining how the theories and practices of scientists were shaped by Victorian beliefs about religion, gender, imperialism and politics, the dictionary presents a rich panorama of the development of science in the nineteenth century. As well as containing entries on those working in traditional scientific areas, such as geology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics and biology, the dictionary also covers the human sciences such as anthropology, sociology, psychology and medicine. In addition, areas such as phrenology, mesmerism, spiritualism, scientific illustration, scientific journalism and publishing, instrument making and government policy are covered. By including new figures working in these areas, and by paying attention to the social and cultural context in which they lived, the dictionary reflects the richer picture of the nineteenth-century period gradually being developed by scholars in the field.

Scientists --- Science --- Scientifiques --- Sciences --- Biography --- Dictionaries --- Biographies --- Dictionnaires anglais --- History --- 929 <41> --- 5/6 (09) --- Biografie. Genealogie. Heraldiek--Verenigd Koninkrijk van Groot-Brittannië en Noord-Ierland --- Geschiedenis van de exacte en toegepaste wetenschappen --- 929 <41> Biografie. Genealogie. Heraldiek--Verenigd Koninkrijk van Groot-Brittannië en Noord-Ierland --- Dictionaries. --- Scientists - Great Britain. --- Science - Great Britain - History - 19th century.

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Originally published in 1987. The Origins of Agnosticism provides a reinterpretation of agnosticism and its relationship to science. Professor Lightman examines the epistemological basis of agnostics' learned ignorance, studying their core claim that "God is unknowable." To address this question, he reconstructs the theory of knowledge posited by Thomas Henry Huxley and his network of agnostics. In doing so, Lightman argues that agnosticism was constructed on an epistemological foundation laid by Christian thought. In addition to undermining the continuity in the intellectual history of religious thought, Lightman exposes the religious origins of agnosticism.

Agnosticism --- History --- Great Britain --- Intellectual life --- Atheism --- Belief and doubt --- Faith --- Free thought --- Skepticism --- European history

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The nineteenth century witnessed a dramatic shift in the display and dissemination of natural knowledge across Britain and America, from private collections of miscellaneous artifacts and objects to public exhibitions and state-sponsored museums. The science museum as we know it--an institution of expert knowledge built to inform a lay public--was still very much in formation during this dynamic period. Science Museums in Transition provides a nuanced, comparative study of the diverse places and spaces in which science was displayed at a time when science and spectacle were still deeply intertwined; when leading naturalists, curators, and popular showmen were debating both how to display their knowledge and how and whether they should profit from scientific work; and when ideals of nationalism, class politics, and democracy were permeating the museum's walls. Contributors examine a constellation of people, spaces, display practices, experiences, and politics that worked not only to define the museum, but to shape public science and scientific knowledge. Taken together, the chapters in this volume span the Atlantic, exploring private and public museums, short and long-term exhibitions, and museums built for entertainment, education, and research, and in turn raise a host of important questions, about expertise, and about who speaks for nature and for history.

Science museums --- Science --- Science centers --- Museums --- History. --- History

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Victorians were fascinated by the flood of strange new worlds that science was opening to them. Exotic plants and animals poured into London from all corners of the Empire, while revolutionary theories such as the radical idea that humans might be descended from apes drew crowds to heated debates. Men and women of all social classes avidly collected scientific specimens for display in their homes and devoured literature about science and its practitioners. Victorian Science in Context captures the essence of this fascination, charting the many ways in which science influenced and was influenced by the larger Victorian culture. Contributions from leading scholars in history, literature, and the history of science explore questions such as: What did science mean to the Victorians? For whom was Victorian science written? What ideological messages did it convey? The contributors show how practical concerns interacted with contextual issues to mold Victorian science-which in turn shaped much of the relationship between modern science and culture.

Science --- History --- Great Britain --- Social conditions --- victorianism, victorian period, science, scientific studies, scientists, humanities, fascination, engagement, cultural study, culture, ideology, ideological approach, great britain, british history, historical contexts, 19th century, social conditions, knowledge, economics, biology, biological, politics, political, charles darwin, evolution, darwinism, satire, literature, race, fiction, literary, representation, working environments, zoology, empire, colonialism.