Science and the Founding Fathers: Science in the Political Thought of Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Madison [Hardcover]

I. Bernard Cohen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393035018 | ISBN-13: 978-0393035018 | Publication Date: April 1995 | Edition: 1st

This work examines the scientific education of four important figures of the American republic, looking at how they employed their knowledge in shaping the political issues of the day and how they incorporated scientific reasoning into the constitution. Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States, was able to read and comprehend Newton's "Principia". Benjamin Franklin had attained international scientific fame by 1775, his "Experiments and Observations on Electricity" having been translated into six languages before the American Revolution. John Adams underwent one of the finest educations in science that the "new" country could provide, including courses in "Pneumaticks", "Hydrostaticks", "Mechaniks", "Statiks" and "Optiks". James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution, peppered his Federalist Papers with references to physics, chemistry and the life sciences. For all these men science was an integral part of life - including political life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cohen's eye-opening, elegant study shows that America's Founding Fathers were true citizens of the Age of Reason who sought links between scientific principles and constitutional government. Thomas Jefferson, naturalist and inventor, had a consuming passion for scientific pursuits ranging from paleontology to zoology. The Declaration of Independence, which he wrote, reverberates with echoes of Newtonian science, as when he invokes "self-evident" truths or "laws of nature." Benjamin Franklin, far from being a mere tinkerer or inventor, pioneered the science of electricity. Franklin also developed a demographic theory that North America would become a population center of the British world; this led to the policy according to which the British annexed Canada rather than Guadeloupe as the spoils in the war against the French (1754-63). John Adams, who studied astronomy and physics at Harvard, was a founder of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston. And James Madison, a devoted amateur scientist, drew on scientific metaphors and analogies in his Federalist articles. Illustrated. Cohen is Victor S. Thomas professor emeritus of the history of science at Harvard University.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Intellectually engaging . . . deftly written. (Boston Globe )

The founding fathers appear in an interesting new light, thanks to Cohen's fresh, not to say iconoclastic, vision. (Kirkus Reviews ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393035018
• ISBN-13: 978-0393035018
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( A ) > Adams, John
  • #93 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Franklin, Benjamin

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5.0 out of 5 stars Science Literacy=Understanding our Founding Fathers, January 21, 2012

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This review is from: Science and the Founding Fathers: Science in the Political Thought of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and James Madison (Paperback)

Cohen does an excellent job in describing how the Founding Fathers based so much of our country's most vital documents-the Declaration of Independence & the Constitution-& their other writings, such as the Federalist Letters, on the science of their time, which Franklin & Jefferson had a great part in the making. In our time, as we look at the sad state of scientific literacy, are we in danger of losing our grasp of thse documents because the underlying concepts of science aren't understood?