Energía y cultura: historia de la termodinámica en la España de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX (2011)
Pohl Valero, Stefan (Author)
Editorial Universidad Javeriana
Physical Details: 321 pp.
From the Introduction In the second half of the 19th century, the disciplinary map of physics and life scienceswas reshaped by the new science of thermodynamics, which became one of the mainscientific developments of that century. At the same time, its laws played an importantrole in the configuration of western modern social thought. Besides cosmological and natural terrestrial phenomena, even society started to be analysed under an energeticconceptual frame, producing a deep influence in religious, educational, political andeconomical discourses. European intellectuals from the entire ideological spectrum participated in these kind of discourses. Energy and culture thoroughly analyses the process of communication and appropriation of thermodynamics during the last third of the 19th century in Spain, stressing how the cultural reformulation of its laws was foundational for understanding the natural world and Spanish society during a criticalperiod of their history. Actually, both energy conservation and entropy were concepts interpreted and employed by local experts and lay persons with a diversity of goals. Several theological assumptions, such as God s creation of the universe, free will or the possibility of miracles, were debated taking into consideration such theories. While some sectors of society turned to the laws of thermodynamics in order to refute the power of Catholic Church and promote secular values and a naturalistic worldview,others employed them to scientifically prove a number of moral traditional values and, by doing that, try to maintain the social status quo. Some heralds of thermodynamics restricted the application of its laws to the material world, while others stated their importance for the study of human beings and society. These laws gave legitimacy to several economical and social stances and represented society as afunctioning thermal machine ruled by them
...MoreDescription Focuses on thermodynamics in its metaphorical and philosophical uses outside of science, especially its religious, legal, and cultural aspects.
Essay Review Mateos, Gisela (2015) Closing and Opening Doors: Spanish History of Science and Science Historiographies in Spanish: Knowledge Production, Circulation, and Asymmetries [Review Essay Number 1552106]. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences (pp. 198-205).
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