Science and Conclusion: Towards 1848 Summary and Analysis

Advances in science are not as significant as those in the arts during this period, Hobsbawm claims, but there are some very important developments that lay the foundations for the structure of scientific inquiry in subsequent periods. These developments are associated with the dual revolution as well, he argues.

The discoveries on the physical sciences are not of the major kinds made earlier in astronomy and physics, Hobsbawm writes. They are more modest, but will prove to be significant. The discovery of the cell in biology, for example, will lead to greater advances. Its significance during this time, Hobsbawm claims, is more in its revelation of a basic building block of life. This idea will reverberate through political science, Hobsbawm says. Significant advances are made in the field of mathematics, but these are of interest...