Book ID: CBB001210285

Jefferson's Shadow: The Story of His Science (2012)

unapi

Thomson, Keith Stewart (Author)


Yale University Press


Publication Date: 2012
Physical Details: 288 pp.; ill.
Language: English

In the voluminous literature on Thomas Jefferson, little has been written about his passionate interest in science. This new and original study of Jefferson presents him as a consummate intellectual whose view of science was central to both his public and his private life. Keith Thomson reintroduces us in this remarkable book to Jefferson's eighteenth-century world and reveals the extent to which Jefferson used science, thought about it, and contributed to it, becoming in his time a leading American scientific intellectual. With a storyteller's gift, Thomson shows us a new side of Jefferson. He answers an intriguing series of questions---How was Jefferson's view of the sciences reflected in his political philosophy and his vision of America's future? How did science intersect with his religion? Did he make any original contributions to scientific knowledge?---and illuminates the particulars of Jefferson's scientific endeavors. Thomson discusses Jefferson's theories that have withstood the test of time, his interest in the practical applications of science to societal problems, his leadership in the use of scientific methods in agriculture, and his contributions toward launching at least four sciences in America: geography, paleontology, climatology, and scientific archaeology. A set of delightful illustrations, including some of Jefferson's own sketches and inventions, completes this impressively researched book.In the voluminous literature on Thomas Jefferson, little has been written about his passionate interest in science. This new and original study of Jefferson presents him as a consummate intellectual whose view of science was central to both his public and his private life. Keith Thomson reintroduces us in this remarkable book to Jefferson's eighteenth-century world and reveals the extent to which Jefferson used science, thought about it, and contributed to it, becoming in his time a leading American scientific intellectual. With a storyteller's gift, Thomson shows us a new side of Jefferson. He answers an intriguing series of questions---How was Jefferson's view of the sciences reflected in his political philosophy and his vision of America's future? How did science intersect with his religion? Did he make any original contributions to scientific knowledge?---and illuminates the particulars of Jefferson's scientific endeavors. Thomson discusses Jefferson's theories that have withstood the test of time, his interest in the practical applications of science to societal problems, his leadership in the use of scientific methods in agriculture, and his contributions toward launching at least four sciences in America: geography, paleontology, climatology, and scientific archaeology. A set of delightful illustrations, including some of Jefferson's own sketches and inventions, completes this impressively researched book.

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Reviewed By

Review Koelsch, William A. (2014) Review of "Jefferson's Shadow: The Story of His Science". Journal of Southern History (pp. 162-164). unapi

Review Martínez, Michelle (2013) Review of "Jefferson's Shadow: The Story of His Science". Journal of American Culture (p. 379). unapi

Review Witkin, Joan (2013) Review of "Jefferson's Shadow: The Story of His Science". Journal of the Early Republic (p. 563). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001210285/

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Authors & Contributors
Anna M. Serralunga Bardazza
Onuf, Peter S.
Avery, Shane Patrick
Lasch-Quinn, Elisabeth D.
Gordon-Reed, Annette
Sandro Tirini
Concepts
Biographies
Science and politics
Science and society
Science and religion
Presidents
Geography
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
20th century
17th century
Places
United States
Italy
Virginia (U.S.)
France
Pennsylvania (U.S.)
Berlin (Germany)
Institutions
University of Virginia
American Philosophical Society
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