William Whewell

Also known as Reverend William Whewell

English philosopher and historian of science (1794–1866)

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Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

VMD: Visual molecular dynamics
· 1996 · cited 61,493x
Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure
· 1976 · cited 43,862x
Comparison of simple potential functions for simulating liquid water
· 1983 · cited 38,972x
QIIME allows analysis of high-throughput community sequencing data
· 2010 · cited 30,722x
Preparation of Graphitic Oxide
· 1958 · cited 28,525x

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Quotes

“And so no force however great can stretch a cord however fine into an horizontal line which is accurately straight.”
“We cannot observe external things without some degree of Thought; nor can we reflect upon our Thoughts, without being influenced in the course of our reflection by the Things which we have observed.”
“Every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting form of error. Not only so; but scarcely any attempt is entirely a failure; scarcely any theory, the result of steady thought, is altogether false; no tempting form of Error is without some latent charm derived from Truth.”
“By speaking of space as an Idea, I intend to imply the apprehension of objects as existing in space, and of the relations of position prevailing among them, is not a consequence of experience but a result of a peculiar constitution and activity of the mind which is independent of all experience in its origin, though constantly combined with experience in its exercise.”
“Our assent to the hypothesis implies that it is held to be true of all particular instances. That these cases belong to past or to future times, that they have or have not already occurred, makes no difference in the applicability of the rule to them. Because the rule prevails, it includes all cases.”
“The system becomes more coherent as it is further extended. The elements which we require for explaining a new class of facts are already contained in our system. Different members of the theory run together, and we have thus a constant convergence to unity. In false theories, the contrary is the case.”

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Key facts

Preceded by: Christopher Wordsworth
Succeeded by: William Hepworth Thompson
Born: ( 1794-05-24 ) 24 May 1794, Lancaster , England
Died: 6 March 1866 (1866-03-06) (aged 71), Cambridge , England
Spouses: Cordelia Marshall ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1841 ; died 1855 ) Everina Ellis ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1858 ; died 1865 )
Alma mater: University of Cambridge Trinity College
Known for: Coining the terms scientist (1833) and physicist (1840) Coining the terms anode and cathode (1834)
Awards: Chancellor's Gold Medal (1814) Smith's Prize (1816) Royal Medal (1837)
Academic advisor: John Gough
Discipline: Mathematics philosophy science theology
Institutions: University of Cambridge (1817–1866)
Notable students: Augustus De Morgan
Main interests: History of science poetry

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: William Whewell
date of birth: 1794-05-24
date of death: 1866-03-06
Commons gallery: William Whewell

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Works in European collections

14 objects attributed to William Whewell, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Elements of morality incluiding polity

Lectures on the history of moral philosophy

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Article

William Whewell (/ˈhjuːəl/ HEW-əl; 24 May 1794 – 6 March 1866) was an English polymath. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved distinction in both poetry and mathematics.

The breadth of Whewell's endeavours is his most remarkable feature. In a time of increasing specialisation, Whewell belonged in an earlier era when natural philosophers investigated widely. He published work in mechanics, physics, geology, astronomy, and economics, while also composing poetry, writing a Bridgewater Treatise, translating the works of Goethe, and writing sermons and theological tracts. In mathematics, Whewell introduced what is now called the Whewell equation, defining the shape of a curve without reference to an arbitrarily chosen coordinate system. He also organized thousands of volunteers internationally to study ocean tides, in what is now considered one of the first citizen science projects. He received the Royal Medal for this work in 1837.