Exploring the natural scientific foundations of far-reaching social ideologiesThe nineteenth century produced scientific and cultural revolutions that forever transformed modern European life. Although these critical developments are often studied independently, Richard G. Olson's Science and Scientism in Nineteenth-Century Europe provides an integrated account of the history of science and its impact on intellectual and social trends of the day. Focusing on the natural scientific foundations underlying liberalism, socialism, positivism, communism, and social Darwinism, Olson explores how these movements employed science to clarify their own understanding of Enlightenment ideals, as well as their understanding of progress, religion, industry, imperialism, and racism. Starting with the impact of the French Revolution on scientific thought, Olson engages with key texts from J. B. Say, Henri Saint-Simon, Kant, Goethe, Darwin, Walter Bagehot, and Edward Bellamy to demonstrate the complex set of forces that shaped nineteenth-century thinking.
- ISBN10 0252031881
- ISBN13 9780252031885
- Publish Date 10 December 2007
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 20 May 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Illinois Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English