“The Philosophical Breakfast Club” with Dr. Laura J. Snyder

The Philosophical Breakfast Club tells the story of four men – Charles Babbage, John Herschel, William Whewell, and Richard Jones – who met on 19th-century Sunday mornings for “philosophical breakfasts.”

In this SuperSalon, philosopher, historian, and the author of the book – Dr. Laura J. Snyder – joins Arkadiusz Synowczyk to discuss how the four plotted, and to a remarkable extent, realized a new scientific revolution.

We often take for granted that science follows an inductive method, aims at improving the lives of ordinary men and women, is supported by research grants and that its practitioners constantly meet and debate their work. But when the “Philosophical Breakfast Club” started to meet, science did not look like that, nor did the word “scientist” even exist. Fortunately, members of the club helped to change that.

What, for example, did the four accomplish? Whewell invented words such as “scientist,” “anode,” “cathode,” and “ion,” and spearheaded international research on the tides. Jones shaped the science of economics, for instance, by defending the inductive method in it. Babbage invented the first modern computer. Herschel mapped the skies of the Southern Hemisphere, contributed to the invention of photography, and, together with Whewell, heavily influenced the methodology of Charles Darwin. Accomplishments of the four, however, go far beyond that.

If you are interested in discussing the book, its ideas, and anything connected to it, join us for this amazing SuperSalon with Dr. Laura J. Snyder! PS: you are more than welcome to bring breakfast 😀

Resources:

• Dr. Snyder’s TED Talk about the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc_-Y9rDN2g
• Dr. Snyder’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Philosophical-Breakfast-Club-Remarkable-Transformed/dp/0767930495/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=philosophical+breakfast+club&qid=1678308368&sr=8-1

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