Styles of Reasoning in the British Life Sciences - (Sci & Culture in the Nineteenth Century) by James Elwick (Paperback)

About the Book

Elwick explores how the concept of "compound individuality" brought together life scientists working in pre-Darwinian London. Scientists conducting research in comparative anatomy, physiology, cellular microscopy, embryology and the neurosciences repeatedly stated that plants and animals were compounds of smaller independent units. Discussion of a "bodily economy" was widespread. But by 1860, the most flamboyant discussions of compound individuality had come to an end in Britain. Elwick relates the growth and decline of questions about compound individuality to wider nineteenth-century debates about research standards and causality. He uses specific technical case studies to address overarching themes of reason and scientific method.

Book Synopsis

Elwick explores how the concept of "compound individuality" brought together life scientists working in pre-Darwinian London. Scientists conducting research in comparative anatomy, physiology, cellular microscopy, embryology and the neurosciences repeatedly stated that plants and animals were compounds of smaller independent units. Discussion of a "bodily economy" was widespread. But by 1860, the most flamboyant discussions of compound individuality had come to an end in Britain. Elwick relates the growth and decline of questions about compound individuality to wider nineteenth-century debates about research standards and causality. He uses specific technical case studies to address overarching themes of reason and scientific method.

Review Quotes

A stimulating and highly original book.-- "History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences"

Elwick has provided an informative and constructive analysis of the major themes involved.-- "Isis"

Elwick's book is a valuable contribution to a richer historical understanding of the period. The quality and range of the research is exemplary and I found myself wanting more of his well-written and lucid arguments.-- "British Society for Literature and Science"

I learned a great deal from Elwick's book about matters relevant, not just to my interest in the history of the period in question, but also to issues still at stake in contemporary philosophy of biology. Historians and philosophers of biology alike have much to gain from reading it.-- "Journal of the History of Biology"

About the Author

James Elwick is associate professor of science and technology studies at York University. He is the author of Styles of Reasoning in the British Life Sciences: Shared Assumptions, 1820-1858, and currently works on how standardized achievement tests actually became standardized.