1st Edition

Knowledge and Power Science in World History

By William Burns Copyright 2011
    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    Knowledge and Power shows how science has developed in different historical settings by focusing on four episodes in the history of world science from the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century.

    The title of this book comes from a famous saying by the English Renaissance philosopher Francis Bacon: "Knowledge is Power." Through a combination of narrative and primary sources, author William Burns explores the following topics in order to provide students with an understanding of how different cultures throughout time and across the globe approached science: Science in the Medieval Mediterranean, The Jesuits and World Science ca. 1540-1773, Science in Russia and Japan ca. 1684-1860s, and Africa in the Age of Imperialism and Nationalism ca. 1860-1960.

    Introduction Chapter 1: Science in the Medieval Mediterranean Chapter Two: The Jesuits and World Science, 1540-1773 Chapter Three: Westernization, Modernization, and Science in Russia and Japan, 1684-1860s Chapter Four: Africa in the Age of Imperialism and Nationalism, 1860-1960 Making Connections: How Much have Things Changed? Bibliography Documentary Sources

    Biography

    William Burns is a historian living in Washington, DC. His previous books include The Scientific Revolution (2001), An Age of Wonders: Prodigies, Politics and Providence in England, 1657-1727 (2002), Science in the Enlightenment (2003), and Science and Technology in Colonial America (2005).