William Whewell | Biography

William Whewell is best known for coining the word scientist. When his name appears at all in standard histories of science, it is usually to note this linguistic contribution or his impact on his alma mater and professional home, the University of Cambridge; seldom is his broader influence on the philosophy of science discussed. Indeed, a marked hostility toward Whewell's work has been the rule. The historian of science George Alfred Léon Sarton complained in 1936 that "nothing illustrates better the backwardness of our studies than the fact that Whewell's book was still commanding the respect of many thoughtful readers at the beginning of the century." It is puzzling that someone who was so influential and even feared in his own time could excite such contempt and then so easily vanish from the intellectual landscape. While Whewell's scientific findings were not significant, his philosophical writings anticipate many modern themes. The...
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