THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY . AND PHILOSOPHY IN THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY
By Professor A. Wolf
Professor Wolf, who has already written a History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, has now extended his survey to include the eighteenth century, and has written a book (Allen and Unwin, 25s.) which, like its predecessor, will be recognised as a standard work. The century of genius was succeeded by the century of enlightenment, and the men of the eighteenth century were mainly concerned to follow the trails blazed by the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. The trails led in every direction ; into mathematics, mechanics, astronomy, physics, meteorology, geography, Chemistry, biology, medicine, economics and tech- nology. Of all these Professor Wolf gives an exhaustive account, his learning, which is prodigious, ranging from the Calculus of Probability to the making of lenses, and from the Corpuscular Theory of light to the invention of the steam engine. Particularly interesting are Professor Wolf's incursions into the social sciences, into sociology, political theory and even philosophy. The extension is typical of the eighteenth cen- tury, whose outstanding characteristic was a certain critical temper of mind. Why, it was asked, should a method which had produced such remarkable results in mathematics and physics not be of equal value in dealing with man both as an individual and in society ? The method was accordingly extended and resulted in the psychological philosophies of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume in England, and the products of the philosophes in France. Of all these Professor Wolf has given
an adrhirable account. This weighty volume—it runs to 800 large pages—is profusely illustrated; there are, in fact, no fewer than 345 illustrations • it is a thoroughly competent piece of work by a first-rate scholar.
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