Geoffrey Cantor
Biographic Data
| ID | 968170 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Geoffrey Cantor |
| GIVEN NAMES | Geoffrey |
| FAMILY NAME | Cantor |
| SIGNATURE | CANTOR G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Leeds |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2344-5814 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1970 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Humphry Davy: A study in narcissism
Drawing on Jan Golinski's analysis of Humphry Davy's adoption of a variety of social roles, this paper seeks to ground Davy's social interactions by identifying his underlying psychological orientation. A close reading of Davy's own letters and the accounts of him given by his contemporaries suggest that many facets of his behaviour accord closely with those associated with a narcissistic personality, as described in the psychological literature.…
Charles Rothschild, conservationist
Although the present-day Anglo-Jewish community has been slow to address environmental issues, Charles Rothschild, an early twentieth-century banker and entomologist, made substantial contributions to nature conservation. Being deeply concerned that human activities threatened the extinction of many species of plants, insects, birds and animals, Rothschild founded three nature reserves and introduced environmental management on his own estate in …
John Tyndall's religion: A fragment
Both contemporaries and historians have focused on the high-profile 1874 Belfast Address in which John Tyndall was widely perceived as promulgating atheism. Although some historians have instead interpreted him as a pantheist or an agnostic, it is clear that any such labels do not accurately capture Tyndall's religious position throughout his life. By contrast, this paper seeks to chart Tyndall's religious journey from 1840 (when he was in his la…
Emotional Reactions to the Great Exhibition of 1851
Drawing on a range of contemporary sources, including journals, letters, and articles in newspapers and periodicals, this article focuses on the experiences of visitors to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Although visitors often wrote descriptions of Paxton's Crystal Palace and of many of the exhibits they encountered, these sources indicate that a visit to the Exhibition was also for many a highly emotional experience. While emotional reactions var…
Science, Providence, and Progress at the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of 1851 is generally interpreted as a thoroughly secular event that celebrated progress in science, technology, and industry. In contrast to this perception, however, the exhibition was viewed by many contemporaries as a religious event of considerable importance. Although some religious commentators were highly critical of the exhibition and condemned the display of artifacts in the Crystal Palace as giving succor to materia…
Science and Religion: New Historical Perspectives
David Charles Gooding (21 November 1947–13 December 2009)
Charles Gooding, a captain in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was stationed in the British Military Zone after the Second World War. In 1952 the family moved to Kuala Lumpur, where Charles served as an intelligence officer working with the Malayan secret police during the Malayan Emergency and David's mother, Marjorie, was an assistant controller of economics at the Malay Treasury. Two years later, when David was seven, his parents…
Victorian Popularizers of Science: Designing Nature for New Audiences , by Bernard Lightman Science in the Marketplace: Nineteenth-Century Sites and Experiences , edited by Aileen Fyfe and Bernard Lig…
Reviewed by: Victorian Popularizers of Science: Designing Nature for New Audiences, and: Science in the Marketplace: Nineteenth-Century Sites and Experiences Geoffrey Cantor (bio) Victorian Popularizers of Science: Designing Nature for New Audiences, by Bernard Lightman; pp. xvi + 545. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2007, $45.00, £26.00. Science in the Marketplace: Nineteenth-Century Sites and Experiences, edited by Aileen F…
An Intelligent Approach to Design
Galileo and the Church: Then and Now
Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism
Darwin s theory of evolution transformed the life sciences and made profound claims about human origins and the human condition, topics often viewed as the prerogative of religion. As a result, evolution has provoked a wide variety of religious responses, ranging angry rejection to enthusiastic acceptance. While Christian responses to evolution have been studied extensively, little scholarly attention has been paid to reactions. Jewish Tradition …
Creating the Royal Society's Sylvester Medal
Following the death of James Joseph Sylvester in 1897, contributions were collected in order to mark his life and work by a suitable memorial. This initiative resulted in the Sylvester Medal, which is awarded triennially by the Royal Society for the encouragement of research into pure mathematics. Ironically the main advocate for initiating this medal was not a fellow mathematician but the chemist and naturalist Raphael Meldola. Religion, not mat…
Representations of science in the nineteenth century periodical press
Public interest in science is often thought to have been much greater in the nineteenth century than at the present time. However, little attention has been paid to the media used to disseminate science to different audiences in nineteenth century Britain. In particular, the vast bulk of general periodicals which fill our library shelves continues to be largely impenetrable. Yet readers encountered a great quantity and an extensive variety of sci…
The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of 'the Philosophical Dropsy
Journal Article The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of ‘the Philosophical Dropsy’? Get access Geoffrey Cantor Geoffrey Cantor University of Leeds Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The English Historical Review, Volume 116, Issue 467, June 2001, Pages 584–603, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/116.467.584 Published: 01 June 2001
Quaker Responses to Darwin
[FIRST PARAGRAPH] In his seminal work Darwin and the General Reader (1958), Alvar Ellegird surveyed the British periodical press over the period 1859 to 1872 in order \nto discover how Darwin's theory had been received in a hundred publications reflecting a wide range of social, religious, and political opinion. He paid attention \nboth to the amount of space devoted to Darwinian topics and also to each periodical's stance with respect to such is…
Casper Hakfoort (1955–99)
Dominated by its medieval moated castle, the small Dutch market town of ’s-Heerenberg stands a few miles from Arnhem close to the German border. Casper Hakfoort was born into this rural community on 6 January 1955 and he returned to it to be buried shortly after his death on 4 March 1999. In the intervening forty-five years Casper had travelled far from his roots in this small agricultural town and played a significant – but tragically curtailed …
Boyling over: A commentary on the preceding papers
When Michael Hunter first publicized the idea of ‘Psychoanalysing Robert Boyle’ I understood that his main aim was to test three competing psychoanalytical theories against the historical evidence provided by the life and work of Robert Boyle. Although this would have been a valuable exercise, and one that the British Society for the History of Science meeting partly engaged, the papers by Brett Kahr, John Clay and Karl Figlio published here rais…
Quakers in The Royal Society, 1660–1750
It has often been claimed that Quakers have been vastly over–represented among Fellows of the Royal Society, when compared with their small proportion in the British population. This claim does not, however, stand up to historical analysis; indeed, the first handful of Quakers was only elected in the 1720s. In the present paper I analyse the activities within the Royal Society of those birthright Quakers elected prior to the middle of the eightee…
Presidential Address Charles Singer and the Early Years of the British Society for the History of Science
Presidential addresses offer an opportunity to reflect on the history of our subject and where the history of science stands in our own day. Such reflections are particularly appropriate with the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) which is marked in 1997. Some may consider that looking back over our past is either an unacceptable luxury or an occasion for the kind of celebration that can …
The making of a British theoretical physicist – E. C. Stoner's early career
In 1924 Edmund Clifton Stoner (1899–1966), a 24-year-old research student at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, sought a university post in physics. Having previously studied at Cambridge as an undergraduate, Stoner was nearing the end of three years' postgraduate research under Professor Sir Ernest Rutherford's supervision. 1924 was not, however, an auspicious time to seek employment since vacancies in university physics departments were scarc…
Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism . Gerrit L. Verschuur
Why was Faraday excluded from the Sandemanians in 1844
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The Philosophy of Language in Britain: Major Theories From Hobbes to Thomas Reid
The Rhetoric of the Human Sciences: Language and Argument in Scholarship and Public Affairs . John S. Nelson , Allan Megill , Donald N. McCloskey
Essay Review: Eighteenth Century Materialism: Thinking Matter: Materialism in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Berkeley's The Analyst Revisited
Presidential Address Charles Singer and the Early Years of the British Society for the History of Science
Presidential addresses offer an opportunity to reflect on the history of our subject and where the history of science stands in our own day. Such reflections are particularly appropriate with the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) which is marked in 1997. Some may consider that looking back over our past is either an unacceptable luxury or an occasion for the kind of celebration that can …
The Changing Role of Young's Ether
This paper sets out to examine the changes which took place in Thomas Young's concepts of the ether between 1799 and 1807. During the earlier part of this period he supposed the ether to consist of mutually repelling subtle particles which are attracted to particles of matter. Hence, he considered that the ether is denser within dense bodies than in rare ones. Furthermore, Young proposed that the ether density does not change abruptly at an inter…
Science, Providence, and Progress at the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of 1851 is generally interpreted as a thoroughly secular event that celebrated progress in science, technology, and industry. In contrast to this perception, however, the exhibition was viewed by many contemporaries as a religious event of considerable importance. Although some religious commentators were highly critical of the exhibition and condemned the display of artifacts in the Crystal Palace as giving succor to materia…
Boyling over: A commentary on the preceding papers
When Michael Hunter first publicized the idea of ‘Psychoanalysing Robert Boyle’ I understood that his main aim was to test three competing psychoanalytical theories against the historical evidence provided by the life and work of Robert Boyle. Although this would have been a valuable exercise, and one that the British Society for the History of Science meeting partly engaged, the papers by Brett Kahr, John Clay and Karl Figlio published here rais…
Emotional Reactions to the Great Exhibition of 1851
Drawing on a range of contemporary sources, including journals, letters, and articles in newspapers and periodicals, this article focuses on the experiences of visitors to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Although visitors often wrote descriptions of Paxton's Crystal Palace and of many of the exhibits they encountered, these sources indicate that a visit to the Exhibition was also for many a highly emotional experience. While emotional reactions var…
Representations of science in the nineteenth century periodical press
Public interest in science is often thought to have been much greater in the nineteenth century than at the present time. However, little attention has been paid to the media used to disseminate science to different audiences in nineteenth century Britain. In particular, the vast bulk of general periodicals which fill our library shelves continues to be largely impenetrable. Yet readers encountered a great quantity and an extensive variety of sci…
The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of 'the Philosophical Dropsy
Journal Article The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of ‘the Philosophical Dropsy’? Get access Geoffrey Cantor Geoffrey Cantor University of Leeds Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The English Historical Review, Volume 116, Issue 467, June 2001, Pages 584–603, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/116.467.584 Published: 01 June 2001
Why was Faraday excluded from the Sandemanians in 1844
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Essay Review: The Eighteenth Century Problem: The Ferment of Knowledge: Studies in the Historiography of Eighteenth Century Science
The Historiography of 'Georgian' Optics
Berkeley, Reid, and the Mathematization of Mid-Eighteenth-Century Optics
The Academy of Physics at Edinburgh 1797-1800
At the end of the eighteenth century, the reverberations of the French Revolution and its aftermath were strongly felt in Scotland, where a general fear of dissidence prevailed. The polarities of opinion found expression on the one hand in the formation of radical groups, while on the other there were a series of notorious trials for sedition which were intended to stamp out anarchy. The country was effectively maintained under the strict and rep…
The Changing Role of Young's Ether
This paper sets out to examine the changes which took place in Thomas Young's concepts of the ether between 1799 and 1807. During the earlier part of this period he supposed the ether to consist of mutually repelling subtle particles which are attracted to particles of matter. Hence, he considered that the ether is denser within dense bodies than in rare ones. Furthermore, Young proposed that the ether density does not change abruptly at an inter…
The Academy of Physics at Edinburgh 1797-1800
At the end of the eighteenth century, the reverberations of the French Revolution and its aftermath were strongly felt in Scotland, where a general fear of dissidence prevailed. The polarities of opinion found expression on the one hand in the formation of radical groups, while on the other there were a series of notorious trials for sedition which were intended to stamp out anarchy. The country was effectively maintained under the strict and rep…
Method in History: For and against
Berkeley, Reid, and the Mathematization of Mid-Eighteenth-Century Optics
The Historiography of 'Georgian' Optics
Essay Review: The Eighteenth Century Problem: The Ferment of Knowledge: Studies in the Historiography of Eighteenth Century Science
Berkeley's The Analyst Revisited
Essay Review: Eighteenth Century Materialism: Thinking Matter: Materialism in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Brewster and Wheatstone on Vision . Nicholas J. Wade
The Philosophy of Language in Britain: Major Theories From Hobbes to Thomas Reid
The Rhetoric of the Human Sciences: Language and Argument in Scholarship and Public Affairs . John S. Nelson , Allan Megill , Donald N. McCloskey
Why was Faraday excluded from the Sandemanians in 1844
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The making of a British theoretical physicist – E. C. Stoner's early career
In 1924 Edmund Clifton Stoner (1899–1966), a 24-year-old research student at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, sought a university post in physics. Having previously studied at Cambridge as an undergraduate, Stoner was nearing the end of three years' postgraduate research under Professor Sir Ernest Rutherford's supervision. 1924 was not, however, an auspicious time to seek employment since vacancies in university physics departments were scarc…
Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism . Gerrit L. Verschuur
Quakers in The Royal Society, 1660–1750
It has often been claimed that Quakers have been vastly over–represented among Fellows of the Royal Society, when compared with their small proportion in the British population. This claim does not, however, stand up to historical analysis; indeed, the first handful of Quakers was only elected in the 1720s. In the present paper I analyse the activities within the Royal Society of those birthright Quakers elected prior to the middle of the eightee…
Presidential Address Charles Singer and the Early Years of the British Society for the History of Science
Presidential addresses offer an opportunity to reflect on the history of our subject and where the history of science stands in our own day. Such reflections are particularly appropriate with the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) which is marked in 1997. Some may consider that looking back over our past is either an unacceptable luxury or an occasion for the kind of celebration that can …
Boyling over: A commentary on the preceding papers
When Michael Hunter first publicized the idea of ‘Psychoanalysing Robert Boyle’ I understood that his main aim was to test three competing psychoanalytical theories against the historical evidence provided by the life and work of Robert Boyle. Although this would have been a valuable exercise, and one that the British Society for the History of Science meeting partly engaged, the papers by Brett Kahr, John Clay and Karl Figlio published here rais…
Casper Hakfoort (1955–99)
Dominated by its medieval moated castle, the small Dutch market town of ’s-Heerenberg stands a few miles from Arnhem close to the German border. Casper Hakfoort was born into this rural community on 6 January 1955 and he returned to it to be buried shortly after his death on 4 March 1999. In the intervening forty-five years Casper had travelled far from his roots in this small agricultural town and played a significant – but tragically curtailed …
The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of 'the Philosophical Dropsy
Journal Article The Rise and Fall of Emanuel Mendes da Costa: A Severe Case of ‘the Philosophical Dropsy’? Get access Geoffrey Cantor Geoffrey Cantor University of Leeds Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The English Historical Review, Volume 116, Issue 467, June 2001, Pages 584–603, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/116.467.584 Published: 01 June 2001
Quaker Responses to Darwin
[FIRST PARAGRAPH] In his seminal work Darwin and the General Reader (1958), Alvar Ellegird surveyed the British periodical press over the period 1859 to 1872 in order \nto discover how Darwin's theory had been received in a hundred publications reflecting a wide range of social, religious, and political opinion. He paid attention \nboth to the amount of space devoted to Darwinian topics and also to each periodical's stance with respect to such is…
Representations of science in the nineteenth century periodical press
Public interest in science is often thought to have been much greater in the nineteenth century than at the present time. However, little attention has been paid to the media used to disseminate science to different audiences in nineteenth century Britain. In particular, the vast bulk of general periodicals which fill our library shelves continues to be largely impenetrable. Yet readers encountered a great quantity and an extensive variety of sci…
Creating the Royal Society's Sylvester Medal
Following the death of James Joseph Sylvester in 1897, contributions were collected in order to mark his life and work by a suitable memorial. This initiative resulted in the Sylvester Medal, which is awarded triennially by the Royal Society for the encouragement of research into pure mathematics. Ironically the main advocate for initiating this medal was not a fellow mathematician but the chemist and naturalist Raphael Meldola. Religion, not mat…
Galileo and the Church: Then and Now
Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism
Darwin s theory of evolution transformed the life sciences and made profound claims about human origins and the human condition, topics often viewed as the prerogative of religion. As a result, evolution has provoked a wide variety of religious responses, ranging angry rejection to enthusiastic acceptance. While Christian responses to evolution have been studied extensively, little scholarly attention has been paid to reactions. Jewish Tradition …
An Intelligent Approach to Design
Philosophy (24 works) · History (21 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Epistemology (15 works) · History (11 works) · Philosophy (11 works) · Classics (10 works) · Art history (9 works) · History of Science and Natural History (9 works) · Art (8 works)