The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science [Audio CD]

 

 

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While explaining "how the Romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science," Richard Holmes focuses on what "became the first great age of the public scientific lecture, the laboratory demonstration and the introductory textbook, often written by women. It was the age when science began to be taught to children, and the `experimental method' became the basis of a new, secular philosophy of life, in which the infinite wonders of Creation (whether divine or not) were increasingly valued for their own sake...Finally, it was the age which challenged the elite monopoly of the Royal Society, and saw the foundation of scores of new scientific institutions, mechanics institutes and `philosophical' societies."

Although Holmes poses and then responds to hundreds of questions or has others do so, "the book remains a narrative, a piece of biographical storytelling. It tries to capture something of the inner life of science, its impact on the heart, as well as on the mind. In the broadest sense it aims to present scientific passion, so much if it which is summed up in that childlike, but infinitely complex word, [begin italics] wonder [end italics]."

In the Epilogue, offering an especially eloquent and compelling conclusion to his book, Holmes acknowledges that "there is a particular problem with finding endings in science. Where do these science stories really finish? Science is truly a relay race, with each discovery handed on to the next generation. Even as one door is closing, another door is already being thrown open....

"But science is now continually reshaping its history retrospectively. It is starting to look back and rediscover its beginnings, its earliest traditions and triumphs, but also its debates, its uncertainties and its errors...Similarly, it seems to me impossible to understand fully the contemporary debates about the environment, or climate change, or genetic engineering, or alternative medicine, or extraterrestrial life, or the future of consciousness, or even the existence of God, without knowing how these arose from the hopes and anxieties of the Romantic generation.

"But perhaps most important, right now, is the changing appreciation of how scientists themselves fit into society as a whole, and the nature of the particular creativity they bring to it. We need to consider how they are increasingly vital to any culture of progressive knowledge, to the education of young people (and the not so young), and to our understanding of the planet and its future. Foe this, I believe science needs to be presented and explored in a new way. We need not only a new history of science, but an enlarged and imaginative biographical writing about individual scientists...

"The old, rigid debates and boundaries - science versus religion, science versus the arts, science versus traditional ethics - are no longer enough. We should be impatient with them. We need a wider, more generous, more imaginative perspective. Above all, perhaps, we need the three things that a scientific culture can sustain: the sense of individual wonder, the power of hope, and the vivid but questing belief in a future for the globe. And that is how this book might possibly end." And indeed so it does.

Congratulations to Richard Holmes on a brilliant achievement. Bravo!

This is a ranging review of all that might be of interest to a history buff during the interval between the voyages of Cook in the Endeavour and Darwin in the Beagle. The author calls this the Age of Wonder. It was by his account a true age of wonder. Beware of reading this book in bed. You will alienate your partner by the frequency with which you say "listen to this" as you read another snippet.

Look, I get this is an academic subject but to draw me in you have to write a whole lot better. I gave up halfway through this book as although I found the information on the Mongolfier brothers' ballooning, Joseph Banks' life in Tahiti and William Herschel's exploration of the stars really wonderful, the chapters all began to sound exactly the same.

They'd all seem to start off introducing the topic or person with background on their parents and family life leading up to whatever it is they became famous for. Then we'd end all chapters with some connection to a Romantic poet.

I also found the whole book way too English-centric. Yes, there are French scientists and inventors thrown in but I just felt could it really be that Britain rules the science waves, too?

Anyway, another annoying point is the fact some totally fascinating aspects are never fully explained. Apparently back in 1700s, ordinary people attended scientific and medical lectures and this created "stars" of these people. It seems unfathomable in this day and age so was this the way the world was back then pre-movies/TV?

Then there's the whole ability to actually earn a living by having royalty pay for scientists to tinker around. Again, a different era as today scientists would be employed by the private sector or in universities. There's also the case of William Herschel originally making a living in music by farming himself out as a music teacher cum conductor in small towns around England. I found that totally fascinating as if every little town competed against every other town for some musical status.

These nuggets do make the book rise but then are dragged down by this dirge-like text. This book needed a much sharper editor to pare it down to crisper text. The thing is 466 pages long and has a 58-page index! That's all well and good if you doing an academic paper but this is put out by Harper Press for the general public. Cut the chafe and get to the wheat of the matter and this book would be a solid 5 stars.

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