The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution and the Birth of America

Опубликовано 6 сентября 2016, 18:34

Joseph Priestly was a British scientist and theologian, a protégé’ of Benjamin Franklin, friend of Thomas Jefferson and an 18th century radical thinker who played pivotal roles in the invention of ecosystem science and the discovery of oxygen. Priestly also helped found the Unitarian Church in England and deeply influenced the Founding Fathers and their emerging vision of a separate church and state. What makes Priestly and his peers so fascinating is that they were on the cusp of multiple revolutions in multiple fields: in politics, chemistry, physics, education and religion: just as we are today. Why do these multiple revolutions happen when they do, and why do some rare individuals serve as the catalyst of their times?