TTC -
History of Science 1700 to 1900 by Frederick Gregory
Published by The Teaching Company (TCC)
36 lectures of 30 minutes - 408 mb - mp3
In the period 1700-1900, kings and empires rose and fell, but science conquered all, taking the world by storm.
Yet, as the 1700s began, the mysteries of the universe were pondered by "natural philosophers", the term "scientist" didn't even exist until the mid 19th century, whose explanations couldn't help but be influenced by the religious thought and political and social contexts that shaped their world.
The radical ideas of the Enlightenment were especially important and influential. In this course you see how the work of these natural philosophers prepared the way for the more familiar world of science we recognize today.
Dr. Gregory has organized the course around six main themes:
- inquiries into the history of the cosmos
- investigations into the realm of living things
- the attempt to break away from occult explanations of chemical phenomena
- the persistence of occult appeals in explaining natural phenomena
- the proliferation of the number of physical forces discovered and investigated
- the recurring theme of the relationship of God to nature.
In moving back and forth across two centuries, the lectures touch on many of the scientific disciplines we know today, including chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, paleontology, and others. And they often cover in detail famous experiments and discoveries in areas as divergent as electromagnetism, fossil analysis, and medicine.
Course Lecture Titles 1. Science in the 18th and 19th Centuries
2. Consolidating Newton's Achievement
3. Theories of the Earth
4. Grappling with Rock Formations
5. Alchemy under Pressure
6. Lavoisier and the New French Chemistry
7. The Classification of Living Things
8. How the Embryo Develops
9. Medical Healers and Their Roles
10. Mesmerism, Science, and the French Revolution
11. Explaining Electricity
12. The Amazing Achievements of Galvani and Volta
13. Biology is Born
14. Alternative Visions of Natural Science
15. A World of Prehistoric Beasts
16. Evolution French Style
17. The Catastrophist Synthesis
18. Exploring the World
19. A Victorian Sensation
20. The Making of The Origin of Species
21. Troubles with Darwin's Theory
22. Science, Life, and Disease
23. Human Society and the Struggle for Existence
24. Whither God?
25. Forces, Forces Everywhere
26. Electromagnetism Changes Everything
27. French Insights About Heat
28. New Institutions of Natural Science
29. The Conservation of What?
30. Culture Wars and Thermodynamics
31. Scientific Materialism at Mid-Century
32. The Mechanics of Molecules
33. Astronomical Achievement
34. The Extra-Terrestrial Life Fiasco
35. Catching Up With Light
36. The End of Science?
