Whewell
Achievements: University reform.
Born: May 24, 1794, Lancaster, England
Died: March 6, 1866, Cambridge, England. Aged 71
Field & Discipline: Science; History; Mineralogy
Education: Grammar school, Haversham; Cambridge University, England
Major Work:
"The History of the Inductive Sciences, From the Earliest to the Present Time"
"The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History"
Life & Times:
Whewell didn't like the way mathematics was taught at Cambridge University and together with friends [a pal of] Babbage,* [a pal of] JFW Herschel*, [a pal of]George Peacock* and others formed the Analytical Society to bring about improvements. In 1817, after he graduated, he was elected to a fellowship at Cambridge. In 1818, he was appointed an assistant tutor, and in 1819 took his MA.
During the 1820s, Whewell continued to push for reforms in university education. Years later, in 1837, he would write "Principles of English University Education" and, in 1845, "Of a Liberal Education". Meanwhile, he contributed to textbooks on mechanics and dynamics, introducing calculus. In the wider scientific field, he helped promote physics in Britain and helped in the founding and early administration of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Around 1820, Whewell joined the Philosophical Society, recently founded by [associate of] Sedgwick*. Though dedicated to science in general, the society had a special interest in geology. In 1824, Whewell gave a paper at the [was a member of] Royal Society*, laying the basis of modern crystallography by defining a means for calculating the planes of crystals. In 1825, he visited [visited] Mohs* in Germany, and later published a revised version of Mohs's system of mineralogical classification.
In 1828, Whewell was appointed professor of mineralogy at Cambridge, and also served as president of the Geological Society, where [supported by] Lyell* and Sedgwick were his strong supporters.
During the 1830’s, he worked with [worked with] Faraday*, and helped to popularize scientific terms like: "ion", "anode", and "cathode". In the field of geology, he assisted [assisted] Lyell* in coining the terms: "Eocene", "Miocene" and "Pliocene". He also coined the terms: "physicist" and "scientist".
Whewell's scientific writing dealt mainly with the teaching or popularization of science, but he produced 14 papers on tides, a subject few people had written on.
From the 1830 on, Whewell worked mainly on the history and philosophy of science. "The History of the Inductive Sciences, From the Earliest to the Present Time" was published in three volumes in 1837. This was one of the first general histories of science, and covered the period from the ancient Greeks to the 19th century.
"Whewell was one of the Cambridge dons whom Charles Darwin met during his education there, and when Darwin returned from the *Beagle* voyage he was directly influenced by Whewell, who persuaded Darwin to become secretary of the Geological Society of London. The title pages of On the Origin of Species open with a quotation from Whewell'sBridgewater Treatise about science founded on a natural theology of a creator establishing laws:"
"But with regard to the material world, we can at least go so far as this—we can perceive that events are brought about not by insulated interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each particular case, but by the establishment of general laws."
Whewell called for a re-assessment of inductive thinking, which had been the basis of much of science through history. Through induction, general conclusions could be drawn from a group of specific facts, e.g.: if all observed ravens are found to be black, then all ravens must be black.
Whewell argued that with the emergence of many new sciences, it was time to reassess the methods of examining how they came about and how they developed. "The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded upon their History" (1840), Whewell's second great work, took issue with the empiricists (who based knowledge on experience, or the accumulation of facts) and with the intellectuals (who based knowledge on a prioriideas, or a belief in certain givens).
This work prompted a response from Herschel and [work related to] John Stuart Mill*. But though the work is considered one of the masterpieces of 19th century philosophy, and established Whewell's reputation as a major thinker, it was not well received because it deviated too much from the accepted views.
Whewell taught moral philosophy at Cambridge from 1838 to 1855, writing "Elements of Morality, Including Polity" in 1845, "Lectures on Systematic Morality" in 1846 and "Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy in England" in 1852. He wrote other works on ethics and law, natural theology, church architecture, scientific nomenclature, political economy and philosophy of science. In 1841, he was made master of Trinity College, and in 1842, and again in 1855, he was named Vice-Chancellor. Whewell died in Cambridge in 1866 as a result of a fall from his horse.
Extra Connections: Between 1826 and 1828, together with [collaborated with] Airy*, tried to determine the density of the earth at a copper mine in Cornwall, but the experiment failed.
Knew [knew] Wordsworth*
His work related to that of astronomer [work related to] Quetelet*.
Knew physicist [knew] Faraday*.
Taught future novelist [taught] Thackeray* at Cambridge.
Was a fan of [a fan of] Somerville* (coined the term "scientist" for her?)
Taught by [taught by] Gough*
He disagreed with the views of [disagreed with] Baden Powell*
Assessment: A man of immense learning, his two major works were instrumental in the development of scientific philosophy
Oneliner: William Whewell, Victorian science popularizer
Bibliography:
- Yeo, Richard, Defining Science: William Whewell, natural knowledge, and public debate in early Victorian Britain, Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Language: English
Father: John Whewell
Mother: Elizabeth Bennison
Siblings: Elizabeth; Martha; Ann
Spouse: 1) Cordelia Marshall; 2) Lady Evering Affleck
Children: None