
A History of Modern Culture
Volume 1
Preserved Smith(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 17. July 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
690 pages
978-1-108-07464-3 (ISBN)
Description
Preserved Smith (1880-1941), a professor in the history department of Cornell University, owed his unusual first name to Puritan ancestors who could be traced back to the seventeenth century. His great interest was in the Protestant reformation, and its wide-ranging political and cultural effects in Europe and America. An obituary remarks that his writings 'reveal a remarkable breadth of knowledge and interest and a consistent devotion to high standards of scholarly integrity'. This two-volume work of 1930-4, discussing 'modern culture' from 1543 to 1776, displays these qualities in abundance. Volume 1, after an introductory chapter, considers the state of the sciences in the sixteenth century, then the humanities and the social and political context of law, morality and art. The emphasis on the importance of science as a driver of change makes this a remarkable and readable overview of the emergence of modern society.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
958 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-07464-3 (9781108074643)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Preserved Smith (July 22, 1880 - May 15, 1941) was an American historian of the Protestant Reformation. He was the son of Henry Preserved Smith, a noted scholar of the Old Testament, and inherited his name from a line of Puritan ancestors stretching back to the seventeenth century. He attended Amherst College and Columbia University, where he received his PhD in 1907, and continued studies at the Sorbonne and the University of Berlin. Like his mentor James Harvey Robinson at Columbia, he had a high respect for science and a belief that knowledge of history was a way to improve human prospects for the future. He taught at Cornell University as a member of the Department of History from 1923 to 1941.
Content
Preface; 1. Introductory; Part I. The Sciences: 2. Astronomy; 3. Physics; 4. Mathematics; 5. Geography, biology, anatomy; 6. The scientific revolution; Part II. The Humanities: 7. Philosophy; 8. Political theory; 9. Historiography; 10. Biblical and classical scholarship; Part III. Social Control: 11. Education; 12. Religion; 13. Free-thought; 14. Superstition; 15. Persecution and tolerance; 16. Laws; Part IV. The Spirit of the Times: 17. Morals and manners; 18. Literature; 19. Art; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.