Article Preview
Science and the Founding Fathers, by I. Bernard Cohen
- Abstract
What relevance does modern science have for the political principles we live by? Has the progress of science sustained or rather undermined the foundations of our republic, in particular the natural rights boldly proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and made effectual in our Constitution?
These are important and even urgent questions, and to address them one might well begin by asking what role science played in the political thought of our Founding Fathers. That is the stated theme of the latest book by I. Bernard Cohen, professor emeritus of the history of science at Harvard University and himself one of the founding fathers of the modern discipline of the history of science. In view of his prestige and his expertise in the science of Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, and the 18th century generally, Cohen’s Science and the Founding Fathers is likely to become the standard work in the field.
About the Author
This article is available for purchase to subscribers and for individual purchase
Subscriber Sign In
Not A Subscriber?
