#208 David Wootton: History of Science, Philosophy, Politics, And Capitalism
Dr. David Wootton is Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York. He works on the intellectual and cultural history of the English-speaking countries, Italy, and France, from the 17th to the 19th centuries. His most recent book is Power, Pleasure, and Profit published by Harvard University Press, and he’s also the author of The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution. He has given the Carlyle and Besterman Lectures at Oxford, the Raleigh Lecture at the British Academy and the Benedict Lectures at Boston.
In this episode, we talk about some of the main topics explored by Dr. Wootton in The Invention of Science. We discuss the historical precursors of science, and the new conceptual framework that developed around the 17th century. We also refer to the progress of science, where Thomas Kuhn failed, the relationship between philosophy and science, and science as a cultural construct. We go through the earliest developments in Astronomy and Earth geography, the discovery of the Americas and the historical relationship between science and political power. We discuss some hypotheses for why China did not get to develop science before Europe, and the relationship between science and technology. Finally, we look into how science might have influenced the development of capitalism (and vice-versa).
Time Links:
Historical precursors to science
A new conceptual framework for science in the 17th century
How science progresses, and the approach by Thomas Kuhn
Science as a sociocultural construct
The relationship between Philosophy and Science
The first scientists
The first developments in Astronomy
Columbus, geography, and the relationship between science and political power
Hypotheses for why China did not get to science first
The relationship between science and technology
The telescope and the microscope, and the very small and the very big
Did capitalism influence science, or was it the other way around?
Follow Dr. Wootton’s work!
Follow Dr. Wootton’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/2Ia4zoC
Personal website: http://www.davidwootton.com/
The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution: https://amzn.to/2X54ElY
Power, Pleasure, and Profit: Insatiable Appetites from Machiavelli to Madison: https://amzn.to/2MJTW0l