Adolphe Quetelet, Social Physics and the Average Men of Science, 1796-1874

by Kevin Donnelly

Overview

Adolphe Quetelet was an influential astronomer and statistician whose controversial work inspired heated debate in European and American intellectual circles. In creating a science designed to explain the “average man,” he helped contribute to the idea of normal, most enduringly in his creation of the Quetelet Index, which came to be known as the Body Mass Index.  Kevin Donnelly presents the first scholarly biography of Quetelet, exploring his contribution to quantitative reasoning, his place in nineteenth-century intellectual history, and his profound influence on the modern idea of average.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822981633
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date:	06/15/2015
Series:	Sci & Culture in the Nineteenth Century
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Kevin Donnelly is assistant professor of history at Alvernia University in Reading, PA.

Table of Contents

Cover Half Title Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements List of Figures Introduction: Two Average Men 1. Life in the War: The End of Enlightenment in Belgium, 1796–1823 2. Casualties of War: Quetelet and Friends in Ghent and Brussels, 1815–23 3. Stoking the Sacred Fire: The Administration of Observation in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, 1822–30 4. From Brussels to Europe: The Creation of a Scientific Network, 1823–9 5. Physique Sociale, 1825–35 6. The Other Average Man: L’Homme Moyen and its Critics Conclusion: The New Argonauts Epilogue: The Average Enlightenment Works Cited Notes Index

Editorial Reviews

"...this book gives precious insights on the dimensions regarding Adolphe Quetelet's contribution to a "science of man."...a significant contribution to the history of social sciences and an example of the added value of the materialist history of scientific practices."
--Yann Renisio, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences

"After reading all I could about Quetelet, I came away thinking that there was a serious need for a proper treatment of the man, and I was extremely happy to see that this book existed. It is very informative and provides the first sustained treatment of the most famous scientist no one has ever heard of. People need to know about Quetelet."
--Todd Rose, Harvard University

"In this important and perceptive book, Kevin Donnelly casts new light on the scientific life of Adolphe Quetelet. Particularly in view of the wide range of his scientific interests, Quetelet remains a curiously understudied figure in the history of nineteenth-century science. This new biographical study goes a long way in correcting that deficit. It offers fascinating insights and will prove indispensable reading for anyone interested in the origins of the nineteenth-century rise of quantification."
--Iwan Rhys Morus, Aberystwyth University

"Offers an interpretation of Quetelet's work that wholly justifies serious and systemic historical treatment. . . . Donnelly's purpose is neither to praise Quetelet nor to bury his reputation, but to situate his work in the history of nineteenth-century scientific institution-building and its relations to the practices of government. The biography is a timely achievement."
--Steven Shapin, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

From the Publisher